Tab Thacker
Encyclopedia
Talmadge Layne "Tab" Thacker (10 March 1962 – 28 December 2007), was a former NCAA
wrestler
and actor.
While at North Carolina State University
Thacker won the NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship in 1984, collecting 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
titles along with the Wolfpack
. He finished his college career 92-11-1, ranking second in N.C. State history with an .889 winning percentage and 54 pins.
He began his film career after Clint Eastwood
noticed him in Time magazine and noted the 6-foot-4 and 450-pound (1.93 m, 204 kg) Thacker's size. He went on to appear in several films including City Heat
, Wildcats
, two of the Police Academy
films, and Identity Crisis
.
After leaving Hollywood, Thacker returned to Raleigh, North Carolina
, where he opened a remodeling business and operated several nightclubs. He later became a bail bondsman
.
Thacker had majored in criminal justice at NC State.
A North Carolina native, Thacker died in Raleigh, North Carolina
on December 28, 2007 at the age of 45 after years of failing health. Some years before his death, he developed diabetes
and had a foot amputated; shortly before his death, he lost his legs too. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and six children.
He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
wrestler
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
and actor.
While at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
Thacker won the NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship in 1984, collecting 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
titles along with the Wolfpack
NC State Wolfpack
The athletic teams of the North Carolina State University, known as the Wolfpack, compete in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports. NC State is a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and has won eight national championships: two NCAA championships, two AIAW championships, and four titles...
. He finished his college career 92-11-1, ranking second in N.C. State history with an .889 winning percentage and 54 pins.
He began his film career after Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
noticed him in Time magazine and noted the 6-foot-4 and 450-pound (1.93 m, 204 kg) Thacker's size. He went on to appear in several films including City Heat
City Heat
City Heat is a 1984 American action-comedy film starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. The film was released in North America in December 1984. The pairing of Eastwood and Reynolds in a Prohibition-era action-comedy seemed to give the film the potential to be a hit...
, Wildcats
Wildcats (film)
Wildcats is a 1986 film starring Goldie Hawn and costarring Jan Hooks and Swoosie Kurtz. It is the film debut of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. They also appeared together in White Men Can't Jump and Money Train...
, two of the Police Academy
Police Academy
Police Academy is a series of American comedy films, the first six of which were made in the 1980s. The seventh and to date last installment, Mission to Moscow, was released in 1994. The series opened with Police Academy which started with the premise that a new mayor had announced a policy...
films, and Identity Crisis
Identity Crisis (film)
Identity Crisis is a 1989 comedy film directed by Melvin Van Peebles. Written by Mario Van Peebles, the film is about a rapper who winds up sharing his body with the soul of a dead fashion designer, switching between personalities every time he is struck on the head...
.
After leaving Hollywood, Thacker returned to Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, where he opened a remodeling business and operated several nightclubs. He later became a bail bondsman
Bail bondsman
A bail bond agent, or bondsman, is any person or corporation that will act as a surety and pledge money or property as bail for the appearance of persons accused in court...
.
Thacker had majored in criminal justice at NC State.
A North Carolina native, Thacker died in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
on December 28, 2007 at the age of 45 after years of failing health. Some years before his death, he developed diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
and had a foot amputated; shortly before his death, he lost his legs too. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and six children.
He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.