Former TCU coach Jim Wacker dies at 66

[Gilmer Buckeye]

Sad news to report. Coach Wacker passes away. He used to recruit East Texas heavily, taking the players A&M and Texas passed over, including a couple of former Buckeyes.

Posted on Tue, Aug. 26, 2003
Former TCU coach Jim Wacker dies at 66
By Mike Jones
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Jim Wacker, who presided over some of the most eventful years in TCU football history during his tenure (1983-91), died at his home Tuesday.

Wacker, 66, succumbed after his second battle with cancer. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday in San Marcos, where he stayed after retiring as Southwest Texas State athletic director three years ago.

"He brought us to the pinnacle of college football," former TCU athletic director Frank Windegger said. "He was a great Christian who had a lot of faith and was a heck of a football coach."

Rest of article:

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/obituaries/6622016.htm

[Phil C]

A big loss. He was a great coach and a great person. He will be missed. RIP Coach.

[BrahmaMom]

I was at SWTSU when Coach Wacker coached. As a matter of fact, my roommate worked for him. He was a geat coach and great man. He touched a lot of lives and made them better. It is a loss to the college sports world.

[Chief Woodman]

A great man, and one of principle. When it was discovered that a booster had made illegal payments to a running back at TCU, Waker did an amazing thing. Instead of covering it up like A & M coach Sherrill or OU coach Switzer or Baylors' coach Bliss, he did the right thing. He immediately kicked his star player off the team, and self reported to the NCAA. That took guts and more importantly character.

The true measure of a man is not what he does when others are watching, but what he does when he thinks no one sees what he does.

[trojandad]

Coach Wacker would have definitely showed Coach Bliss how to handle his Baylor problems with more "Christian" ethics, for sure. Anybody that could turn TCU around HAD to have been devinely inspired. Great coach. Rest well.

[Phil C]

Chief the sad thing is that the school and coaching staff at TCU were innocent and that it was the fault of a player and booster. It ruined a program that was turning around and showed great promise of TCU possibly returning to the old glory days. It is a shame that lots of innocent people suffer for the wrong doing of a few.