Jim Wacker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jim Wacker (April 28, 1937 - August 26, 2003) was an American football college head coach who was known for his enthusiasm and integrity. His career won-lost-tied record was 160-130-3.
Wacker was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan as the son of a Lutheran minister. He graduated from Valparaiso University in 1960 and went on to further studies at Wayne State University.
In the early phase of his career, he coached at Texas Lutheran University (1971-1975), North Dakota State University (1976-1978), and Southwest Texas State University (1979-1982). He won four national championships during this phase of his career, two at Southwest Texas and two at Texas Lutheran.
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[edit] TCU years
Wacker became head football coach of Texas Christian University (TCU) after the 1982 season. He had early success at TCU - his team was ranked as high as #12 (the Frogs' highest ranking since 1960), and was invited to the Bluebonnet Bowl after an 8-3 record during the 1984 regular season. The #12 Frogs lost a showdown with the tenth-ranked University of Texas Longhorns on November 10 for the Southwest Conference title, in what remains the best-attended game in the history of Amon G. Carter Stadium. After the season, Wacker was named as National Coach of the Year by ESPN, the UPI, and The Sporting News. In 1985 Wacker discovered that several players had been benefiting from a payment plan in violation of NCAA rules. He dismissed the players, including All-America running back Kenneth Davis, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 1984 and a leading candidate for the award heading into the 1985 season, and voluntarily reported the infractions to the NCAA, which issued stiff recruiting penalties on his team. These actions led to Wacker's reputation as a man of integrity. Fans of TCU remain bitter that the penalty heaped on TCU for Wacker's self-reported violations were far more severe than those imposed by the NCAA on other Southwest Conference schools found to be in violation of the rules, including Texas, Texas A&M, the University of Houston, and Texas Tech.
After several years of struggling due to the NCAA penalties, Wacker brought the team back to success in 1990, when the 5-1 Frogs returned to the Top 25 for the first time since 1984 before slumping after a season-ending injury to their starting quarterback, and again in 1991, when the Frogs finished 7-4 for their first winning record since 1984.
[edit] Minnesota
Wacker served as head coach of the University of Minnesota from 1992-1996. Although he had a disappointing won-lost record (16-39) at Minnesota, for three years his teams led the conference with academic all-conference honors.
[edit] Return to Texas
Wacker was an announcer on CBS radio for a couple of years and then returned to Southwest Texas in 1998 to serve as athletic director.
He died after a long battle with cancer in San Marcos, Texas in 2003. Texas State University named its football stadium to "Jim Wacker Field" in his honor.
[edit] References
http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/story/6913979
| Preceded by: Ev Kjelbertson |
North Dakota State Head Football Coach 1976–1978 |
Succeeded by: Don Morton |
| Preceded by: John Gutekunst |
Minnesota Head Football Coach 1992–1996 |
Succeeded by: Glen Mason |
| Preceded by: F.A. Dry |
TCU Head Football Coach 1983–1991 |
Succeeded by: Pat Sullivan |
| North Dakota State University Bison Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Bolley • Harrison • Cochems • Marshall • Dobie • Magoffin • Reuber • Wood • Davis • Borleske • Cutting • Borleske • Cortright • Davis • Rockwell • Finnigan • Kostka • Lowe • Kostka • Bliss • Wenskunas • Anderson • Luymes • Danielson • Mudra • Erhardt • Kjelbertson • Wacker • Morton • Solomonson • Hager • Babich • Bohl |
| Minnesota Golden Gophers Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Peebles • Jones • McCord • McCord • Heffelfinger • Morse • Eck • Moulton • Winter • Cochrane • Heffelfinger • Jerrems • Minds • Harrison • Leary • Williams • Spaulding • Spears • Crisler • Bierman • Hauser • Fesler • Warmath • Stoll • Salem • Holtz • Gutekunst • Wacker • Mason |
| TCU Horned Frog Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Field • Morrison • Hildebrand • Cronk • Hyde • Langley • Lewis • Lever • Stewart • Cahoon • Boles • Freeland • Daniel • Tipton • Hackney • Driver • McKnight • Bell • Schmidt • Meyer • Martin • Taylor • Pittman • Tohill • Shofner • Dry • Wacker • Sullivan • Franchione • Patterson |
