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Carl Tacy Passes Away At 87

Among other big-time wins, Tacy's Deacs beat the 1982 National Champion Tarheels in Carmichael that season. UNC went 32-2 that year with a ridiculously loaded roster (Jordan, Worthy Perkins among others). The year before, WF absolutely rolled UNC (that UNC team lost in the Championship game) at Charmicheal 84-68, which may have been the worst beat-down UNC ever took in Carmichael under Dean Smith. UNC lost 3 home games over those two seasons, and 2 were to the Deacs (Sampson and UVA was the only other team to beat UNC at home, and they did it once). WF was relevant.

I know I've posted this before, but I have a UNC alum friend who is my age and once told me he feared Wake more than any team in the ACC during the years we were in school. God those were fun times. Thanks, coach Tacy.
 
The rumblings were real. There was a player rebellion led by one kid who didn't like Carl. He was a great coach, but wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy.

He was a reserved man. WF has a long history of firing or running off its best coaches: Tacy, Odom, and Grobe. Yet we keep DM for 7...
 
I went to Carl Tacy basketball camp right after he resigned and he was still there leading the camp and doing drills. I mainly remember that we all thought that his daughter was smokin' hot and she worked in the canteen each night selling us pizza. Soon afterwards, Wake hired Bob Staak who is now known as only the 3rd worst coach in WFU hoops history.
 
Among other big-time wins, Tacy's Deacs beat the 1982 National Champion Tarheels in Carmichael that season. UNC went 32-2 that year with a ridiculously loaded roster (Jordan, Worthy Perkins among others). The year before, WF absolutely rolled UNC (that UNC team lost in the Championship game) at Charmicheal 84-68, which may have been the worst beat-down UNC ever took in Carmichael under Dean Smith. UNC lost 3 home games over those two seasons, and 2 were to the Deacs (Sampson and UVA was the only other team to beat UNC at home, and they did it once). WF was relevant.

The sports editor of my hometown paper was a golf buddy of mine, and I talked him into letting me go with him to this game as his photographer. Somewhere in my house there's a black and white print of a picture I took of the scoreboard. About 5 minutes into the second half we were up 62-32. It was like a morgue in there.
 
The sports editor of my hometown paper was a golf buddy of mine, and I talked him into letting me go with him to this game as his photographer. Somewhere in my house there's a black and white print of a picture I took of the scoreboard. About 5 minutes into the second half we were up 62-32. It was like a morgue in there.

Was just going to quote that I thought I remembered being up 30. That may have been the Dave Tinga artificial leg game when an opposing player dove into our bench and almost lost his lunch thinking he tore up Sarge's leg. Dave twisted his prosthetic back around and just looked at the kid like only he could, "Get away from my leg" could have been another year. i will have to ask Mary.
 
I went to Carl Tacy basketball camp right after he resigned and he was still there leading the camp and doing drills. I mainly remember that we all thought that his daughter was smokin' hot and she worked in the canteen each night selling us pizza. Soon afterwards, Wake hired Bob Staak who is now known as only the 3rd worst coach in WFU hoops history.

in your opinion Staak was 3rd worst coach but by far the worst person of the 3 contenders. VT could have put a reserved sign at the Bar. Post game diva requirement in coaches locker room for him was Coors Light 12 pk so he could get a head start.
 
Was just going to quote that I thought I remembered being up 30. That may have been the Dave Tinga artificial leg game when an opposing player dove into our bench and almost lost his lunch thinking he tore up Sarge's leg. Dave twisted his prosthetic back around and just looked at the kid like only he could, "Get away from my leg" could have been another year. i will have to ask Mary.

Sarge was my ROTC instructor my freshman year. He got deployed to Vietnam, and when he returned to campus minus a leg it changed a lot of minds about staying in ROTC.
 
The rumblings were real. There was a player rebellion led by one kid who didn't like Carl. He was a great coach, but wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy.

Think Kenny Green, worried more about getting high than getting better. not Coach Tacy's strength to go with the new normal in the 80s.
 
Carl Tacy was a treasure for Wake Forest basketball. It should have been required that every coach after him spend time picking his brain regarding how to scheme against all sorts of defenses. All in all, he may have been the best coach in Wake's history.

May God impart comfort and peace to his family.

He was a Gentleman and an asset for the Deacs. He also made some really good choices on hard working knowledgeable Asst coaches that paid dividends for Wake for decades. Odom, Dinger, Nestor
 
He was a Gentleman and an asset for the Deacs. He also made some really good choices on hard working knowledgeable Asst coaches that paid dividends for Wake for decades. Odom, Dinger, Nestor
If only Dinger could have wrapped up Tom Hammonds.
 
Think Kenny Green, worried more about getting high than getting better. not Coach Tacy's strength to go with the new normal in the 80s.
At least he ran Tony Karasek away from WF with that butter knife.
 
The sports editor of my hometown paper was a golf buddy of mine, and I talked him into letting me go with him to this game as his photographer. Somewhere in my house there's a black and white print of a picture I took of the scoreboard. About 5 minutes into the second half we were up 62-32. It was like a morgue in there.

I listened to that game on the radio. Don't recall who the UNC homer announcers were (probably Woody Durham and 1 or 2 other guys). Carolina made 2-3 baskets in a row and one of the guys got excited and said The Heels are a run now!". One of the other guys said "Yeah, but we're still down 30 points". Good times!
 
Sarge was my ROTC instructor my freshman year. He got deployed to Vietnam, and when he returned to campus minus a leg it changed a lot of minds about staying in ROTC.

Coach Tacy even had to realize who was in charge downstairs. As many have related thru the years, Sarge respectfully took no shit from anyone at any level. Most organized leader I have ever seen. He owned that basement. Rox and Vic can attest!
 
Sarge was my ROTC instructor my freshman year. He got deployed to Vietnam, and when he returned to campus minus a leg it changed a lot of minds about staying in ROTC.

Off topic, but this reminds me of when the ROTC guys came knocking on my dorm room door. My birth year was, I think, the last one for which the lottery was drawn. My birthday came up #87. Interesting times.
 
If only Dinger could have wrapped up Tom Hammonds.

or Robert Brickey, Duke's first High flyer. We thought we had him in the bag but the Duke allure had started to grow. Had to drive Dinger back late one night from one of those recruiting trips to FayetteNam.
That entire staff did the work behind the scenes and MSD was better for it.
 
The win over the national championship UNC team was 55-48 at Carmichael 81 82 the year before was the year we were up by 30 and won by 16.
 
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The general word on Tacy is that he didn't like recruiting and didn't put much effort into it and that was why people got disgruntled with him. He got outworked by the Ks and Bobby cremins who were young hungry coaches of the time. And honestly when he was fired he left the cupboard pretty bare for staak
 
Not Kenny Green. Danny Young.

i would have to differ with that. DY a class guy and was gone in 84, KG overlapped some and drove the team leaders crazy. Ernie did have to put his job on the line for Coach to sign DY in 1980 but there was always respect. 10yr NBA player so i guess Ernie saw something.
 
Before my time, but reading up about beatdowns against Carolina and his overall legacy make me proud. RIP Coach.
 
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