Thomas Wilcher facts for kids

Thomas Wilcher
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Medal record Representing Michigan Wolverines/Big Ten NCAA Outdoor Championships Bronze 1985 Austin 110 m hurdles NCAA Indoor Championships Gold 1986 Oklahoma City 55m hurdles By race Event 1st 2nd 3rd 55m hurdles 1 0 0 110 m 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 11 April 1964) is a sports administrator at Michigan State University. He was also a high school coach and teacher. Before that, he was a talented athlete in both track and field and college football at the University of Michigan.

Wilcher was a national champion in the indoor 55 m hurdles. He was also named an All-American three times in track and field. He played as a running back for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1983 to 1986. In his final year, 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 a record-setting hurdler. He was a ten-time champion in track and field. 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 an All-state and All-American football player.

In 2017, Wilcher was the head coach for the football team and boys' track & field team at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. As a track coach, he led his team to three state championships. As a football coach, he won three state championships. He was also named Detroit Free Press Coach of the Year in 1998. Many of his players went on to play in the NFL.

High School Sports Achievements

At Detroit Central High School, Thomas Wilcher was an amazing athlete. He was named an All-American four times. He won ten championships from the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). 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 team championships. These wins were in a row from 1980 to 1982. In 1980, he was part of the state champion 4 × 440 yard relay race team. In 1981, he won the MHSAA Class A 120-yard high hurdles. He also helped win the 4 × 440 and 4 × 110 relay championships.

Individual Records and Wins

In his senior year, Wilcher won both the 300 m low hurdles and 110 m high hurdles. He also helped win the 4 × 100 meter state championship. His time of 13.5 seconds in the 110 metre hurdles was a state record for many years. It is still one of the fastest times in state high school history. His 1982 time of 13.6 seconds is the fastest 110 meter hurdles time ever at the MHSAA state championship meet.

National Recognition

Nationally, Wilcher was the top-ranked high hurdler as a junior. He was also the top-ranked low hurdler as a senior. He was undefeated by other high school athletes in these events. In 1981, he won the AAU Junior Olympic Games in the high hurdles. He also won other big races like the International Prep and Golden West low hurdle races. Besides track, he was an All-state and All-American football player. He was also an All-City swimmer.

College Sports Career

Thomas Wilcher went to the University of Michigan for college. He was recruited by Thomas E. Moss Sr.

Track and Field Success

In 1986, Wilcher won the NCAA indoor 55 meter hurdles Championship. He also finished fifth in the NCAA outdoor 110 m hurdles. This earned him All-American honors in both indoor and outdoor track. In 1985, he had placed third in the outdoor 110 m hurdles, also earning All-American honors. In 1987, he won the outdoor Big Ten Conference 110 meter hurdles championship. He holds many Michigan Wolverines records in the high hurdles. 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

Wilcher played as a running back for the Michigan Wolverines football team. He wore jersey number 27. He played in his junior and senior years, earning varsity letters. He rushed for a total of 758 yards and scored eight touchdowns. He played alongside Jamie Morris.

In his final season, he rushed for 397 yards and six touchdowns. He was part of the 1986 Big Ten Conference football champion team. This team went on to play in the 1987 Rose Bowl. He had some great games, including rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks football team in 1985. In 1986, he rushed for two touchdowns against the Wisconsin Badgers football team. His touchdowns in that game helped coach Bo Schembechler get his 200th victory.

After college, Wilcher trained for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. He won the Jesse Owens Classic in 1988 with a 110-meter high hurdles time of 13.70 seconds.

Coaching Career

Thomas Wilcher became a very successful high school coach.

Coaching at Cass Technical High School

Wilcher was the head football coach at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. By 2011, his team had a strong record and made the playoffs many times. In 1998, he was named the Detroit Free Press High School Football Coach of the Year. He coached many talented players who later played in college and the NFL. Some of these players include Vernon Gholston and Joseph Barksdale.

Football Championships

His 2010 team had a great season, going 12-1. The 2011 team won the state Division 1 championship. They beat Detroit Catholic Central High School 49-13. The 2012 team also won the state championship, beating Detroit Catholic Central again. These championship teams had future NFL players like Jourdan Lewis and Lano Hill. In 2016, Cass Tech went undefeated and won another state championship.

Track and Field Coaching

Wilcher also coached the boys' track and field team at Cass Tech. His team won the MHSAA Class A track and field championships in 1994, 1995, and 1996. They were also state runner-up in 2001 and 2002. He trained athletes like NCAA All-American Pierre Vinson.

Players Drafted into the NFL

Cass Tech High School has sent many players to the NFL. Between 2006 and 2021, eight players from Cass Tech were drafted. This was the most from any school in Michigan.

The Story of Vernon Gholston

Vernon Gholston became a star football player, but he didn't start playing defense until his senior year of high school. He was drafted sixth overall in the 2008 NFL draft. Coach Wilcher tells a funny story about how he found Gholston. Wilcher saw a big person walking down the hall with a Bible. He thought it was a parent, but it was Gholston, who was only a freshman! Wilcher was amazed by his size and convinced him to join the football team. Even when others thought Gholston was "too soft," Wilcher believed in him.

Working at Michigan State University

In 2021, Wilcher took a job at Michigan State University. He became the Director of Community and High School Relations for the Michigan State Spartans football team.

Personal Life

Thomas Wilcher is married to Crystal. They have a son named Kishon and two daughters, Kaila and Kiersten. In November 2013, Kishon was a cornerback for the Toledo Rockets. Kaila won the 2012 Detroit Public School League championship in the 300 meter dash.