Thomas Wilcher facts for kids

Thomas Wilcher
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Medal record Representing Michigan Wolverines/Big Ten NCAA Outdoor Championships Bronze 1985 Austin 110m hurdles NCAA Indoor Championships Gold 1986 Oklahoma City 55m hurdles By race Event 1st 2nd 3rd 55m hurdles 1 0 0 110m hurdles 0 0 1 By event Event 1st 2nd 3rd NCAA Outdoor Championships 0 0 1 NCAA Indoor Championships 1 0 0

Thomas Wilcher (born April 11, 1964) is a sports leader who has done many things. He works for the Michigan State University football team. He used to be a high school coach and teacher. He was also a top athlete in college, playing college football and running track and field for the University of Michigan.

Wilcher was a national champion in indoor track. He won the 55 m hurdles at the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships. He was also named an All-American three times for his track skills. He played running back for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1983 to 1986. In his last year of college, his team won the Big Ten Conference football championship. He also won an individual Big Ten championship in the 110 m hurdles. After college, the San Diego Chargers picked him in the 1987 NFL draft.

In high school, Wilcher was an amazing hurdler. He set records for the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). He was a ten-time MHSAA track and field champion. He also won the Michigan High School Track and Cross Country Athlete of the Year award twice. He was a Junior Olympics champion in the 110 m hurdles. He was also a top football player and a good swimmer.

As of 2017, Wilcher was the head coach for the football team and the boys' track & field team at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. He was also a physical education teacher there. As a track coach, he led his team to three MHSAA team championships. His football teams won three MHSAA Division 1 championships. He was named Detroit Free Press Coach of the Year in 1998. Many of his players have gone on to play in the NFL.

High School Sports Achievements

Thomas Wilcher went to Detroit Central High School. He was a star in track and field. He was named an All-American four times. He won ten MHSAA championships. These included team wins, relay wins, and individual wins. He was also named Michigan High School Track and Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 1981 and 1982.

Team Success in Track

Wilcher helped Detroit Central win three state MHSAA Class A championships in a row. These wins were from 1980 to 1982.

• In 1980, as a sophomore, he was the last runner on the state champion 4 × 440 yard relay race team.
• In 1981, as a junior, he won the MHSAA Class A 120-yard high hurdles. He also ran on the winning 4 × 440 and 4 × 110 relay teams.
• In 1982, as a senior, he won both the 300 m low hurdles and the 110 m high hurdles. He was also part of the state champion 4 × 100 meter relay team.

Record-Setting Hurdles

Wilcher set some impressive records in high school.

• His time of 13.5 seconds in the 110 metre hurdles was the state record from 1981 to 1986. It is still tied for the second fastest time in state history.
• His 1982 time of 13.6 seconds is still the fastest 110 meter hurdles time ever at the MHSAA state championship meet.
• His 1982 4 × 100 relay time of 41.7 seconds is considered very close to the official record.

National Recognition

Wilcher was a top hurdler across the country.

• As a junior, he was the number one ranked high hurdler in the nation.
• As a senior, he was the number one ranked low hurdler. He was undefeated by other high school athletes in both events.
• He won the 1981 AAU Junior Olympic Games in the high hurdles.
• As a senior, he won the International Prep and Golden West low hurdle races.
• He was timed as fast as 13.48 seconds and 13.28 seconds (with wind help).
• Besides track, he was an All-state and All-American football player. He was also an All-City swimmer.

College Career at Michigan

Thomas Wilcher was recruited to the University of Michigan by Thomas E. Moss Sr. Moss was a former Deputy Chief of Police in Detroit.

Track and Field Success

Wilcher had a very successful college track career.

• In 1986, he won the NCAA indoor 55 meter hurdles Championship.
• He finished fifth in the NCAA outdoor 110 m hurdles in 1986. This earned him All-American honors for both indoor and outdoor track.
• He also placed third in the outdoor 110m hurdles in 1985, earning All-American honors that year too.
• In 1987, he won the outdoor Big Ten Conference 110 meter hurdles championship. He was named first team All-Big Ten.
• Wilcher still holds many Michigan Wolverines records in the high hurdles. This includes records for the indoor 60 meters and outdoor 110 meters.
• His best time in the 110 meter hurdles was 13.52 seconds. This happened at the 1985 Penn Relays, where he also won the event.

Football Career at Michigan

Wilcher wore number 27 for the Michigan Wolverines. He was 6 feet tall and weighed 185 pounds.

• He did not play much in his first two years.
• He earned varsity letters in football in his junior and senior years. He played for coach Bo Schembechler.
• He ran for a total of 758 yards and scored eight touchdowns as a tailback. He played alongside Jamie Morris.
• In his final season (1986), he ran for 397 yards and scored six touchdowns.
• That year, his team won the 1986 Big Ten Conference football championship. They went on to play in the 1987 Rose Bowl.
• Wilcher started two games in 1986 and one game in 1985.
• In one of his best games, he ran for 104 yards and a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks football team in 1985.
• In 1986, he scored two touchdowns and ran for 74 yards against the Wisconsin Badgers football team. These were the first two touchdowns in coach Schembechler's 200th victory.
• He was picked by the San Diego Chargers in the ninth round of the 1987 NFL draft. He was the first player from their 1987 draft class to sign with the team.

Coaching Career

High School Coaching at Cass Tech

Thomas Wilcher was the head football coach at Cass Technical High School in Detroit.

• Before the 2011 MHSAA semifinals, his team had a record of 99 wins and 56 losses.
• They made it to the MHSAA Class-A playoffs ten times since he became head coach in 1997.
• He was named the 1998 Detroit Free Press High School Football Coach of the Year.
• Some of the famous athletes he coached include Vernon Gholston and Marko Cooper.
• One of the first star players he helped coach was Clarence Williams, who later played for the Michigan Wolverines and in the NFL.
• Other players like Joseph Barksdale and William Campbell also went on to play in the NFL.

Football Team Achievements

• The 2010 team had a great season, going 12 wins and 1 loss. They lost in the MHSAA Division I semifinals.
• The 2011 team won the state Division 1 championship. They beat Detroit Catholic Central High School 49–13 at Ford Field. Their quarterback, Jayru Campbell, was only a freshman.
• The 2012 team won their third straight district championship. They also won the state Division I championship again, beating Detroit Catholic Central 36–21.
• The 2011 and 2012 championship teams had future NFL players Jourdan Lewis and Lano Hill in their defensive backfield.
• In 2016, with quarterback Rodney Hall, Cass Tech went undefeated. They won the MHSAA Division 1 state championship again, beating Detroit Catholic Central.

Track and Field Coaching

Wilcher also coached the boys' track and field team at Cass Tech.

• The team won the MHSAA Class A track and field championships in 1994, 1995, and 1996 under Wilcher.
• They were state runner-up in 2001 and 2002.
• He trained athletes like NCAA All-American Pierre Vinson.

NFL Players from Cass Tech

Cass Tech has had many players drafted into the NFL. Between 2006 and 2021, 8 players from Cass Tech were drafted. This was the most from any school in Michigan.

Story of Vernon Gholston

Vernon Gholston is a famous player coached by Wilcher. He didn't play football at Cass Tech until his sophomore year. He didn't even play defense until his senior year. Gholston became a defensive end for Ohio State Buckeyes football. He was named the 2007 Big Ten Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was also the sixth player picked in the 2008 NFL draft.

Gholston shared how Coach Wilcher found him: "I was going to my next class. He thought I was somebody's father walking down the hall. He asked me whom I was looking for. I was like, 'Nobody. I go here.' He really couldn't believe it. He kind of grabbed me at that point and put me on the team."

Coach Wilcher also told his side of the story: "He was walking down the hall with a Bible in his hands. He was already built like a grown man. I asked him, 'Can I help you sir?' He looked around to see who I was talking to. I said, 'Are you looking for a student?' He said, 'No, I go here.' He said he was a freshman. I thought he was lying." When another coach wanted to remove Gholston from the team, Wilcher went to his house to bring him back. Wilcher said, "I told him I didn't care if he wasn't tough enough, he was going to play football for me. I knew that he had desire to play."

Working at Michigan State University

In 2021, Wilcher took a new job at Michigan State Spartans football. He became the Director of Community and High School Relations. This role helps connect the university's football program with local communities and high schools.

Coaching Record

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Family Life

Thomas Wilcher is married to Crystal. They have a son named Kishon and two daughters, Kaila and Kiersten.

• As of November 2013, Kishon was a redshirt sophomore cornerback for the Toledo Rockets football team.
• Kaila won the 2012 Detroit Public School League championship in the 300 meter dash.