Former Wake Forest University Basketball Coach Carl Tacy gone at age 87:”Gentleman Carl” leaves a lasting Legacy

from Wikipedia on coach Carl Tacy:
Carl Tacy (born 1933 – died April 2, 2020) was a former college basketball coach at Wake Forest, a university in North Carolina, USA. He served as the head coach from 1972 to 1985 where he compiled a 222-149 record, the second winningest record at that time.

from the Wake Forest Athletics Hall of Fame page on Carl Tacy:
Carl Tacy was a basketball coach who further extended and added to the rich tradition of the Wake Forest program.
“Gentleman Carl,” as Tacy had become known during his career, compiled a 222-149 record at Wake Forest and led the team into postseason play in his final five seasons. Four of those years (1981-84), the Deacs won at least 20 games, with the 1984 squad’s 23-9 mark setting a school record for victories in a single season.

That same team also gave Wake Forest basketball one of its finest moments when it defeated nationally ranked DePaul in overtime to advance to the NCAA Midwest Region finals. Tacy’s 1977 club also reached the NCAA Elite Eight before losing to eventual champion Marquette.

Tacy is one of four WFU basketball coaches in the Sports Hall of Fame, joining Bones McKinney, who led Wake to its first two ACC titles in 1961 and 1962; Murray Greason, the school’s all-time leader in wins with his 288-243 record from 1934 through 1957; and Dave Odom, who captured two ACC championships in 1995 and 1996.

A native of Huttonsville, W.Va., Tacy graduated from Davis & Elkins College in 1956. He coached 10 years on the high school level and compiled a 67-14 record in three years at Ferrum (Va.) Junior College. After one season as an assistant coach at Marshall University, Tacy guided the Thundering Herd to a 23-4 mark and an NCAA appearance in 1972. He replaced Jack McCloskey as Wake Forest’s head coach in April of 1972.

Carl Tacy was induced into the WFU Sports Hall of Fame on October 19, 1985.

from January 13, 2013 on Carl Tacy…..
2013 ACC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT LEGENDS ROSTER
(The ACC Basketball Legends will honored at a Legends Brunch, during the ACC Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum, hosted by television personalities Tim Brant and Mike Hogewood)….

Name School Years Position Hometown (Current Hometown)
Carl Tacy Wake Forest 1973-85 Head Coach Huttonsville, W.Va.(Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Gene Corrigan ACC 1987-97 Commissioner Baltimore, Md. (Keswick, Va.)
Gerry Ward Boston College 1961-63 Forward Bronx, N.Y. (Ridgefield, Conn.)
Terrell McIntyre Clemson 1995-99 Guard Raeford, N.C. (Charlotte, N.C.)
Trajan Langdon Duke 1994-99 Guard Anchorage, Alaska (Arlington, Va.)
Tharon Mayes Florida State 1993-97 Guard New Haven, Conn. (same)
Mark Price Georgia Tech 1982-86 Guard Enid, Okla. (Orlando, Fla.)
Gary Williams Maryland 1964-67 Guard Collingswood, N.J. (Bethesda. Md.)
1990-2011 Head Coach
Mike Wittman Miami 1964-67 Forward (St. Joseph, Mich.)
Mike O’Koren North Carolina 1976-80 Forward Jersey City, N.J.(Township of Washington, N.J.)
Dereck Whittenburg NC State 1979-83 Guard Washington, D.C. (New York, N.Y.)
Travis Watson Virginia 1999-03 Forward Brookneal, Va. (Alexandria, Va.)
Ace Custis Virginia Tech 1993-97 Forward Eastville, Va. (Suffolk, Va.)

Some the key players that Carl Tacy coached at Wake Forest, from John Dell, at the Winston-Salem Journal:
The era that Tacy coached in saw some of the greatest players in school history that included Rod Griffin, Skip Brown, Frank Johnson, Jerry Schellenberg, Kenny Green, Delaney Rudd, Anthony Teachey and Tyrone “Mugsy” Bogues. Brown, Griffin and Bogues all have their jersey’s retired at Joel Coliseum.

from GreensboroSports.com:
Rod Griffin might have been the strongest basketball player in the ACC during his time at Wake Forest(Possibly one of the strongest players to ever play in the league/ACC)…Griffin would put up double-doubles like they were going out of style….He was just such a strong rebounder, that nobody could mess with Rod Griffin…Griffin, along with Jerry Schellenberg and Skip Brown, helped Wake Forest win several of the Big Four Tournament titles at the Greensboro Coliseum…Griffin had the inside power for scoring and rebounding, Schellenberg ruled the wing and Skip Brown ran the point guard spot…Some very tough Wake Forest Demon Deacon basketball teams back in those days….The old Big Four Tournaments featured Wake Forest, North Carolina, N.C. State and Duke, all playing at the Greensboro Coliseum, in December of each season, back in the 1970’s…..

The one thing that stands out in my mind, about Carl Tacy’s time at Wake Forest, was he was always winning that is for sure, but Coach Tacy was also always trying to get the basketball facilities at Wake Forest upgraded, but he did not have much luck at all, as he worked diligently in that area/direction…Not sure if it was a disconnect between coach Carl Tacy, and then Wake Forest University athletic director Gene Hooks, but there was a problem somewhere…Tacy would work so hard to put Wake Forest on the map, and Wake Forest would not give him much help back, in return…

For so many people, I am sure the fond memories of Coach Carl Tacy are flowing today, and we wish his family and friends well, during this, their time of grief….

“Gentleman Carl” gone, but we join many others in saying, RIP Carl Tacy……