Tom Thacker (basketball)

Last updated

Tom Thacker
Tom Thacker.jpg
Personal information
Born (1939-11-02) November 2, 1939 (age 83)
Covington, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolWilliam Grant (Covington, Kentucky)
College Cincinnati (1960–1963)
NBA draft 1963 / Pick: Territorial
Selected by the Cincinnati Royals
Playing career1963–1971
Position Guard / forward
Number25, 12, 11, 44
Coaching career1973–1978
Career history
As player:
1963–1966 Cincinnati Royals
1967–1968 Boston Celtics
1968–1971 Indiana Pacers
As coach:
1974–1978 Cincinnati (women's)
Career highlights and awards
As player:
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Thomas Porter Thacker (born November 2, 1939) is an American retired basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Cincinnati Royals and the Boston Celtics from 1963 to 1968, and from 1968 to 1971, for the American Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers. He is the only player to have played on an NCAA championship team, an ABA championship team, and an NBA championship team.

Contents

Early life

Thacker was born in and grew up in Covington, Kentucky across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, the son of William and Velma Arvin Thacker. He attended Our Savior's High School until integration closed it in 1956. [1] He then attended the all-black William Grant High School, where he played basketball. He averaged 31.7 points per game as a junior and led the team to a 26–5 record. As a senior, he averaged 33.8 points as the team went 31–7. [2] He scored 36 points in his final high school game as the team lost the Kentucky state championship game, 85–84. [3]

In 1959 he needed a few credits to earn his degree, so he attended Holmes High School during the summer and graduated. [1]

College career

Thacker as a junior at Cincinnati Tom Thacker UC.jpg
Thacker as a junior at Cincinnati

Thacker attended the University of Cincinnati and played three varsity seasons for the Bearcats under coach Ed Jucker. As a sophomore in 1960–61, he averaged 12.3 points per game and was named All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) as the Bearcats won the league title. [4] The Bearcats finished the season with a record of 27–3 and, on March 25, 1961, Cincinnati, led by the balanced attack of Thacker, Bob Wiesenhahn, Tony Yates, Paul Hogue and Carl Bouldin, [4] won the NCAA Championship with a 70–65 overtime win over the Ohio State Buckeyes. [4]

As a junior in 1961–62, Thacker averaged 11.0 points per game and was again All-MVC. The Bearcats again captured the MVC and posted a 29–2 record. With Ron Bonham and George Wilson replacing the departed Wiesenhahn and Bouldin, the Bearcats again captured the NCAA title on March 24, 1962, again over Ohio State, 71–59. [4]

As a senior in 1962–63, he averaged 15.8 points per game, led the team in assists with 4.0 per game, [4] and was named the team MVP. [4] He was also named All-MVC for the third consecutive season. [4] In addition, he was a consensus first-team All-American along with teammate Bonham. [4] The Bearcats, with the same starting lineup as the year before except for Larry Shingleton replacing the departed Hogue, won the league crown yet again and, for the third straight season, advanced to the NCAA championship game. However, on March 23, 1963, the Bearcats lost to Loyola University Chicago. [4]

Professional career

Thacker was chosen in the first round (fifth overall) of the 1963 NBA draft as a territorial pick by the Cincinnati Royals. During his three seasons with the Royals, he played about nine minutes per game as a backup guard, averaging 2.8, 2.5, and 3.7 points per game, respectively during the 1963–64 through 1965–66 seasons. [5] On May 1, 1966 he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA expansion draft, but he decided to retire and did not play that season.

On August 4, 1967, he returned to the NBA and was signed as a free agent by the Boston Celtics. It turned out to be a fortuitous trade for Thacker. Averaging about 12 minutes per game and 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, he earned a championship ring as the Celtics won the NBA title in a six-game finals series over the Los Angeles Lakers. [6] He also posted a career single-game high of 17 points twice, on February 11, 1968 against the Lakers and again on March 7 against the Bulls. [7]

After Thacker's fourth NBA season, on May 6, 1968, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA expansion draft. [5] However, he opted to play in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Indiana Pacers. In 1968–69, playing just 18 games, he averaged 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, all career personal bests. In 1969–70, he played 70 games, averaging 2.7 points per game and helped the Pacers capture the ABA championship [8] in six games over the Los Angeles Stars. In his third and final ABA season of 1970–71, he played eight games and his seven-year professional career ended. [5]

Coaching career

He became the first African-American coach at the University of Cincinnati, leading the women's basketball program from 1974 to 1978. [9] Thacker was the second coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats women's basketball team and would go on to have an 55–43 record over four seasons, leading three winning campaigns during his coaching time.

Personal life

Thacker earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from the University of Cincinnati. [1] He is also a member of the Beta Eta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Thacker owns his own small business, Tom Thacker Enterprises, in Cincinnati. [10]

He has served as deputy director of the Cincinnati Urban League, [11] and he also served as a teacher with Cincinnati Public Schools. In 1986, he was inducted into the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and, in 1989, into the Northern Kentucky Black Hall of Fame. [1]

He was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame at the 11th Annual Ceremony on May 21, 2016 in Columbus.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Robertson</span> American basketball player (born 1938)

Oscar Palmer Robertson, nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played point guard and was a 12-time All-Star, 11-time member of the All-NBA Team, and one-time winner of the MVP award in 14 seasons. In 1962, he became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season. In the 1970–71 NBA season, he was a key player on the team that brought the Bucks their first NBA title. His playing career, especially during high school and college, was plagued by racism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Lucas</span> American basketball player and author (born 1940)

Jerry Ray Lucas is an American former basketball player. He was a nationally awarded high school player, national college star at Ohio State, and 1960 gold medal Olympian and international player before later starring as a professional player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artis Gilmore</span> American basketball player (born 1949)

Artis Gilmore Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Ramsey (basketball)</span> American basketball player and coach (1931–2018)

Frank Vernon Ramsey Jr. was an American professional basketball player and coach. A 6-3 forward/guard, he played his entire nine-year (1954–1964) NBA career with the Boston Celtics and played a major role in the early part of their dynasty, winning seven championships as part of the team. Ramsey was also a head coach for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA during the 1970–1971 season. Ramsey was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Hagan</span> American basketball player and coach

Clifford Oldham Hagan is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-4 forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li'l Abner", played his entire 10-year NBA career (1956–1966) with the St. Louis Hawks. He was also a player-coach for the Dallas Chaparrals in the first two-plus years of the American Basketball Association's existence (1967–1970). Hagan is a five-time NBA All-Star and an ABA All-Star. He won an NCAA basketball championship in 1951 as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats, and he won an NBA championship with the Hawks in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louie Dampier</span> American basketball player-coach (born 1944)

Louis Dampier is an American retired professional basketball player.

The 1967–68 NBA season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Roberson</span> American basketball player (1947–2020)

Rick Roberson was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers (1969–71), Cleveland Cavaliers (1971–73), Portland Trail Blazers (1973–74), New Orleans Jazz (1974–75) and Kansas City Kings (1975–76).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Bonham</span>

Ronald D. Bonham was an American professional basketball player. He won two NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and a college national title at the University of Cincinnati.

Paul H. "Duke" Hogue was an American basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Ard</span> American basketball player (born 1948)

Jimmie Lee Ard is an American retired professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Wilson (basketball, born 1942)</span>

George Wilson is a retired American professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Wiesenhahn</span>

Robert B. Wiesenhahn, Jr. is an American former professional basketball player.

The Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball program represents the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team competes in NCAA Division I as part of the American Athletic Conference though they will move to the Big 12 conference on July 1, 2023. The Bearcats are currently coached by Wes Miller.

Tony Yates was an American college basketball player and head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats. As a player, he won consecutive national championships with Cincinnati in 1961 and 1962. Yates was named a third-team All-American in 1963, when the Bearcats advanced to the national championship game for the third straight season. In the 1980s he was the head coach at Cincinnati for six seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960–61 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 1960–61 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented University of Cincinnati. Cincinnati won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title and the NCAA tournament, defeating Ohio State 70–65 in the Championship Game in Kansas City, Missouri. The team's head coach was Ed Jucker, his first year at the helm.

Carl Edward Bouldin is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who also played college baseball and college basketball for the University of Cincinnati, where he was a member of the NCAA Championship-winning 1960–61 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team. He played in an NCAA national championship game and in Major League Baseball the same year. Bouldin was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg); in baseball, he was a switch hitter who threw right-handed.

Wayne Leroy Stevens was an American professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Davis (basketball)</span> American basketball player (1938–2021)

Ralph E. Davis Jr. was an American professional basketball player who played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was a starter on two NCAA Final Four teams at the University of Cincinnati.

The 1963 NCAA University Division basketball championship game was the final of the 1963 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and determined the national champion in the 1962–63 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The game was held on March 23, 1963, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The matchup pitted the Loyola Ramblers, who were making their first NCAA Tournament appearance, against the Cincinnati Bearcats, the two-time defending national champions. After trailing by 15 points in the second half, Loyola rallied to force an overtime period, and won the game 60–58 on a basket by Vic Rouse with one second left. The Ramblers earned their first championship in men's college basketball.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Chapter T of the Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky". Issuu.
  2. ↑ "Transition Game ... Civil Rights Warrior Recalls Racial Boundaries Of Integration". www.usaonrace.com.
  3. ↑ "Thacker, Tom Porter · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Photo" (PDF). Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Tom Thacker Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  6. ↑ "1967-68 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  7. ↑ "Tom Thacker 1967-68 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com.
  8. ↑ "Winning Championships and Tom Thacker - Dan Zinchuk". Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  9. ↑ Perry, Michael; Lachey, Nick (2004). Tales from Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball. ISBN   9781582617459.
  10. ↑ "Company website". www.manta.com. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  11. ↑ "What the Hell Happened to...Tom Thacker?".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.