Ralph Thacker

Ralph William Thacker (September 13, 1880 – April 12, 1962) was an American college football and college basketball coach and athletic administrator. He served as the head football coach at Central Michigan Normal School—now known as Central Michigan University—in 1907, Nebraska State Normal School—now known as Peru State College—from 1911 to 1912, the University of Wyoming from 1913 to 1914, Lake Forest College in 1915, and Macalester College from 1922 to 1924, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 17–33–6. Thacker was also the head basketball coach at Peru Normal from 1911 to 1913, Wyoming from 1913 to 1915, and Lake Forest for the 1915–16 season, and Macalester for the 1916–1917 season. He was the athletic director at Macalester from 1922 to 1926.^[1][2]

Ralph Thacker

Thacker pictured in The Forester 1917, Lake Forest yearbook
Biographical details
Born	(1880-09-13)September 13, 1880 Michigan, U.S.
Died	April 12, 1962(1962-04-12) (aged 81) Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
Alma mater	Olivet College (B.A., 1909)
Playing career
Football
1903–1906	Olivet
Position(s)	Fullback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1907	Central Michigan
c. 1910	Traverse City HS (MI)
1911–1912	Peru Normal
1913–1914	Wyoming
1915	Lake Forest
1922–1924	Macalester
Basketball
1911–1913	Peru Normal
1913–1915	Wyoming
1915–1916	Lake Forest
1916–1917	Macalester
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1922–1926	Macalester
Head coaching record
Overall	17–33–6 (college football)

Thacker coached at Traverse City High School in Traverse City, Michigan before he was hired in 1911 at Peru Normal as director of physical training and football coach.^[3][4]

Thacker was born in Michigan. He died on April 12, 1962, in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he had resided for 25 years.^[5][6]

Head coaching record

College football

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Central Michigan Normalites (Independent) (1907)
1907	Central Michigan	2–4
Central Michigan:		2–4
Peru Normal (Independent) (1911–1912)
1911	Peru Normal	4–2
1912	Peru Normal	2–4–2
Peru Normal:		6–6–2
Wyoming Cowboys (Rocky Mountain Conference) (1913–1914)
1913	Wyoming	0–5	0–5	7th
1914	Wyoming	1–5	0–5	8th
Wyoming:		1–10	0–10
Lake Forest Foresters (Little Five Conference) (1915)
1915	Lake Forest	2–4
Lake Forest:		2–4
Macalester Macs (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1922–1924)
1922	Macalester	2–3–1	2–3–1	5th
1923	Macalester	3–3–1	2–3	5th
1924	Macalester	1–3–2	1–2–2	T–5th
Macalester:		6–9–4	5–8–3
Total:		17–33–6