1984 NCAA Champions

[jerseywrestling 87]

1984 NCAA Champions

http://www.jerseywrestling.com/news.php?story=1984 NCAA Champions

Flash back to the NCAA champions and medalists of 1984!

This class includes a three-time NCAA champion, a four-time medalist, a two-time world finalist, and a two-time world champion!

1984 NCAA Champions

118 - Carl DeStefanis, Penn State
126 - Kevin Darkus, Iowa State
134 - Scott Lynch, Penn State
142 - Jesse Reyes, Cal State-Bakersfield
150 - Kenny Monday, Oklahoma State
158 - Jim Zalesky, Iowa
167 - Mike Sheets, Oklahoma State
177 - Jim Scherr, Nebraska
190 - Bill Scherr, Nebraska
UNL - Tab Thacker, North Carolina State

Check out all the medalists!

https://www.jerseywrestling.com/ncaa_medalists.php?year=1984

If anyone has the champions picture from another year, you can email it to support@jerseywrestling.com, and it will be added to the website!

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Edited July 28, 2020 by jerseywrestling

[Lurker 1,384]

+1 Olympic Gold

and the star of the blockbuster Wildcats!

[aknipp 113]

I still cannot believe Nebraska only finished 4th,  but when you have only 3 AAs (2 champs and a number 2) that is what happens.  And 61 points doesn't get you 4th many years.  

[Old Corps 163]

I never saw Tab Thacker wrestle. 

Was he skilled? 

How did he typically defeat his opponents...feet to back takedowns, using his weight advantage from the top position, etc? 

[jchapman 1,070]

Darkus with a hat tip to Barry Davis for Oly shirting.

[NJDan 569]

I vividly recall the article about Tab Thacker in SI. He said, "I eating  three meals a day, but at night I tend to eat continuously."

[Jim L 232]

12 minutes ago, NJDan said:

I vividly recall the article about Tab Thacker in SI. He said, "I eating  three meals a day, but at night I tend to eat continuously."

I recall the caption for the SI picture of him surrounded by food:

"Tab Thacker, no slacker as as a midnight snacker"

[aknipp 113]

1 hour ago, Old Corps said:

I never saw Tab Thacker wrestle. 

Was he skilled? 

How did he typically defeat his opponents...feet to back takedowns, using his weight advantage from the top position, etc? 

I remember the match.  Won at the coin toss.  No takedown.  Thacker on top and tired out the Nebraska HWT (Gary Albright).  Easy escape for Thacker in the 3rd period.  IIRC,  Thacker was 450 pounds, Albright 350. 

[NJDan 569]

2 hours ago, aknipp said:

I remember the match.  Won at the coin toss.  No takedown.  Thacker on top and tired out the Nebraska HWT (Gary Albright).  Easy escape for Thacker in the 3rd period.  IIRC,  Thacker was 450 pounds, Albright 350. 

so it was 1-0? Why does that make it "won at the coin toss"?

[Tom Riddle 2]

4 hours ago, Old Corps said:

I never saw Tab Thacker wrestle. 

Was he skilled? 

How did he typically defeat his opponents...feet to back takedowns, using his weight advantage from the top position, etc? 

For sure he is skilled and great wrestler. He take advantage of his heavy weight.

[Sheerstress 100]

3 hours ago, Jim L said:

I recall the caption for the SI picture of him surrounded by food:

"Tab Thacker, no slacker as as a midnight snacker"

 

[aknipp 113]

47 minutes ago, NJDan said:

so it was 1-0? Why does that make it "won at the coin toss"?

Pure speculation (but I remember thinking this when I saw the match). 

 

Thacker was able to tire out the other HWT by putting his full weight during the ride out.  Starting the 3rd period the NU HWT was visably tired.  That is why I think had the coin toss gone the other way certainly could have seen a different result. 

[jchapman 1,070]

11 minutes ago, aknipp said:

Pure speculation (but I remember thinking this when I saw the match). 

 

Thacker was able to tire out the other HWT by putting his full weight during the ride out.  Starting the 3rd period the NU HWT was visably tired.  That is why I think had the coin toss gone the other way certainly could have seen a different result. 

So Albright wins the toss and chooses top instead?  Or he defers and somehow rides out Thacker in the 2nd, chooses down in the third and has all sorts of energy to get an escape when he couldn’t get an escape in real life when he was fresher in the 2nd period. Doesn’t make sense.

Edited July 29, 2020 by jchapman

[Sheerstress 100]

http://timpeeler.blogspot.com/2018/03/man-youre-bigger-than-i-am.html

Good article on Thacker.  He actually was a 3-time AA, and not a 4-timer as the article says, but like other successful huge heavyweights, he was a very talented overall athlete who moved well (could dunk a basketball!), and knew how to use his weight against opponents.

He is probably best known for his match in the 1982 NCAAs against Lou Banach, where there was probably close to a 200 pound difference in weight, but he lost by fall.

Contrast to the 1983 meet, where he met Mitch Shelton of OSU in the quarterfinals, and had to try to pick on someone his own size :).  (Shelton won 5-0)

Unfortunately, as was the case with some of the other big guys, such as Taylor, Yarborough, and probably Albright, his weight eventually caught up with him, and shortened his life.  

I do miss seeing the biggest guys on the mat.  

[aknipp 113]

9 minutes ago, jchapman said:

So Albright wins the toss and chooses top instead?  Or he defers and somehow rides out Thacker in the 2nd, chooses down in the third and has all sorts of energy to get an escape when he couldn’t get an escape in real life when he was fresher in the 2nd period. Doesn’t make sense.

That is a good point.  I suspect Albright takes top and has a solid shot at riding out.  Back pre 285# limit,  very large heavies would choose top.  

[dmm53 467]

Wow, Louisiana State had three placers.  What happened to their program? 

And the NCAA still used the term "Unlimited" (as opposed to Heavyweight or 285).   

Funny to think guys could say "I'm wrestling Unlimited" or just "I'm Unlimited".   It's almost like being a cartoon superhero!

[Old Corps 163]

1 hour ago, dmm53 said:

Wow, Louisiana State had three placers.  What happened to their program? 

And the NCAA still used the term "Unlimited" (as opposed to Heavyweight or 285).   

Funny to think guys could say "I'm wrestling Unlimited" or just "I'm Unlimited".   It's almost like being a cartoon superhero!

“Unlimited” was used because there was no weight limit for heavies back then. 

I wish the NCAA would reinstate this, and let the big guys wrestle again. 

 

[gimpeltf 1,482]

45 minutes ago, Old Corps said:

“Unlimited” was used because there was no weight limit for heavies back then. 

I wish the NCAA would reinstate this, and let the big guys wrestle again. 

Some would say the big guys never did wrestle.

[dmm53 467]

56 minutes ago, Old Corps said:

“Unlimited” was used because there was no weight limit for heavies back then. 

I wish the NCAA would reinstate this, and let the big guys wrestle again. 

 

Right.   The heydays and (g)old day of guys like Chris Taylor.  Though this (non-NCAA) match unfortunately didn't go so well for the Unlimited Man:

 

[jchapman 1,070]

39 minutes ago, dmm53 said:

Right.   The heydays and (g)old day of guys like Chris Taylor.  Though this (non-NCAA) match unfortunately didn't go so well for the Unlimited Man:

 

Taylor is an Olympic medalist, something Dake and David Taylor can’t say.

[Jim L 232]

6 hours ago, Sheerstress said:

 

That's the picture... I remember it well, except in my mind, they were piles and piles of food around him. Funny how vivid incorrect memories can be

[Sheerstress 100]

10 hours ago, dmm53 said:

Wow, Louisiana State had three placers.  What happened to their program? 

And the NCAA still used the term "Unlimited" (as opposed to Heavyweight or 285).   

Funny to think guys could say "I'm wrestling Unlimited" or just "I'm Unlimited".   It's almost like being a cartoon superhero!

It was discontinued following the 84-85 season.  Even though the program was successful, the AD said that it was costing the school too much for them to travel to competitions since there were not a lot of programs in their region of the country. 

[Sheerstress 100]

An old article on the LSU program and coach Shack.  Unfortunately, collegiate wrestling in the South continued to die.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1978/03/20/after-the-fall-in-dixieland

[PSUSMC 151]

On 7/29/2020 at 6:55 AM, Lurker said:

+1 Olympic Gold

and the star of the blockbuster Wildcats!

also 1 very good orthopedic surgeon

[Lurker 1,384]

5 minutes ago, PSUSMC said:

also 1 very good orthopedic surgeon

Lynch?