TicketsTom Thacker grew up in Covington, Kentucky. While Oscar Robertson was dominating the college basketball world for the Bearcats, Thacker was making a name for himself across the river at William Grant, a predominantly Black high school. He ran track in high school but played pitcher and first base on his CYO baseball team. If there were more opportunities for Black players in those days, he might have pursued baseball. "I was a baseball player at heart," he said.
Thacker stuck with basketball, and his teams frequently dominated any school willing to play them. He averaged 31.7 points per game as a junior and 33.8 as a senior, making a run to the 1959 Kentucky state quarterfinal, where William Grant lost an 85-84
heartbreaker to Olive Hill. It was just the first of many appearances Thacker's teams made on basketball's biggest stages.
Recruited to Cincinnati by assistant coach Ed Jucker, Thacker arrived on campus to play for a program that had quickly established itself as a college basketball powerhouse. Freshmen in those days weren't allowed to compete on the varsity teams, so Thacker played with the freshmen Bearcats while Oscar Robertson, Ralph Davis, and Paul Hogue racked up a 28-2 record and made a second-consecutive trip to the Final Four.
In the fall of 1960, it was Thacker's turn to shine. Despite losing their superstar to the NBA Draft, Jucker, who had been elevated to head coach, didn't miss a beat with his Bearcats. Thacker, standing 6'3" tall, played forward, serving as the team's Swiss Army Knife under the veteran leadership of Hogue, Bob Wiesenhahn, and Carl Bouldin. After wins over #3 Bradley and #6 Iowa, national media finally took notice. They leaped into the top five of the AP Poll and never looked back, winning 22 games in a row en route to a championship victory over #1 Ohio State. Thacker's jumper in the final seconds put the game out of reach. The following year, they did it again, finding their footing in January and rolling to a championship over #1 Ohio State. Thacker scored 21 in the title game.
Going for the three-peat in 1962-63, Jucker's Bearcats were finally given top-ranked distinction and lost just once in the regular season. They fell to Loyola Chicago in a championship game that notably featured seven Black starters. Thacker averaged 14.8 points and 14.5 rebounds in the tournament.
Whenever there was winning to be done, Thacker was there. He finished his collegiate career with an astounding 82-7 varsity record and three Missouri Valley Conference titles. He played in the national championship game in all three seasons.
Thacker's hometown Cincinnati Royals selected him as a territorial pick in the 1963 NBA Draft. With the Royals, Thacker primarily served as a backup to fellow Bearcat Oscar Robertson, who won the league's MVP award in Thacker's rookie season.
Recognized for his versatility and defensive abilities, the Boston Celtics signed Thacker prior to the 1967-68 season. Celtics player-coach Bill Russell said Thacker could do "about anything you ask of him on a basketball court." Thacker's addition proved to be key for Boston. They were +25 with him on the court in the Eastern Conference Finals against Wilt Chamberlain and the Sixers. The Celtics beat Jerry West and the Lakers in the 1968 NBA Finals, Thacker's first NBA title.
Thacker made the jump to the ABA in 1968, signing with the Indiana Pacers. The team reached the ABA Finals the following season. Despite averaging just 2.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists that year, Thacker again proved his championship mettle when it mattered. He came off the bench for 11 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and a "glue-like defensive job" in Game 6, clinching the first championship in Pacers history and Thacker's first in the ABA.
Thacker's playing career concluded with the Pacers in 1971. In 1974, he became head coach of Cincinnati Bearcats women's basketball, making him the second coach in program history and the first Black head coach ever at UC. Thacker amassed a 55-43 record and three winning seasons during his four years in Clifton.
Thacker was inducted into the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. He is also a member of the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
Thacker stuck with basketball, and his teams frequently dominated any school willing to play them. He averaged 31.7 points per game as a junior and 33.8 as a senior, making a run to the 1959 Kentucky state quarterfinal, where William Grant lost an 85-84
heartbreaker to Olive Hill. It was just the first of many appearances Thacker's teams made on basketball's biggest stages.
Recruited to Cincinnati by assistant coach Ed Jucker, Thacker arrived on campus to play for a program that had quickly established itself as a college basketball powerhouse. Freshmen in those days weren't allowed to compete on the varsity teams, so Thacker played with the freshmen Bearcats while Oscar Robertson, Ralph Davis, and Paul Hogue racked up a 28-2 record and made a second-consecutive trip to the Final Four.
In the fall of 1960, it was Thacker's turn to shine. Despite losing their superstar to the NBA Draft, Jucker, who had been elevated to head coach, didn't miss a beat with his Bearcats. Thacker, standing 6'3" tall, played forward, serving as the team's Swiss Army Knife under the veteran leadership of Hogue, Bob Wiesenhahn, and Carl Bouldin. After wins over #3 Bradley and #6 Iowa, national media finally took notice. They leaped into the top five of the AP Poll and never looked back, winning 22 games in a row en route to a championship victory over #1 Ohio State. Thacker's jumper in the final seconds put the game out of reach. The following year, they did it again, finding their footing in January and rolling to a championship over #1 Ohio State. Thacker scored 21 in the title game.
Going for the three-peat in 1962-63, Jucker's Bearcats were finally given top-ranked distinction and lost just once in the regular season. They fell to Loyola Chicago in a championship game that notably featured seven Black starters. Thacker averaged 14.8 points and 14.5 rebounds in the tournament.
Whenever there was winning to be done, Thacker was there. He finished his collegiate career with an astounding 82-7 varsity record and three Missouri Valley Conference titles. He played in the national championship game in all three seasons.
Thacker's hometown Cincinnati Royals selected him as a territorial pick in the 1963 NBA Draft. With the Royals, Thacker primarily served as a backup to fellow Bearcat Oscar Robertson, who won the league's MVP award in Thacker's rookie season.
Recognized for his versatility and defensive abilities, the Boston Celtics signed Thacker prior to the 1967-68 season. Celtics player-coach Bill Russell said Thacker could do "about anything you ask of him on a basketball court." Thacker's addition proved to be key for Boston. They were +25 with him on the court in the Eastern Conference Finals against Wilt Chamberlain and the Sixers. The Celtics beat Jerry West and the Lakers in the 1968 NBA Finals, Thacker's first NBA title.
Thacker made the jump to the ABA in 1968, signing with the Indiana Pacers. The team reached the ABA Finals the following season. Despite averaging just 2.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists that year, Thacker again proved his championship mettle when it mattered. He came off the bench for 11 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and a "glue-like defensive job" in Game 6, clinching the first championship in Pacers history and Thacker's first in the ABA.
Thacker's playing career concluded with the Pacers in 1971. In 1974, he became head coach of Cincinnati Bearcats women's basketball, making him the second coach in program history and the first Black head coach ever at UC. Thacker amassed a 55-43 record and three winning seasons during his four years in Clifton.
Thacker was inducted into the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. He is also a member of the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.