Thomas Wilcher

At Detroit Central High School, in track and field, he was a four-time All-American,[5] ten-time MHSAA champion (three-time team, four-time relay, three-time individual) and Michigan High School Track and Cross Country Athlete of the Year award winner in both 1981 and 1982.

[4] As a senior, he won the International Prep and Golden West low hurdle races.

[4][5] Some sources regard his 13.2 time in the 1982 AAU Junior Olympic Men 110 Meter Hurdles Young event a national record as of May 2013.

[13] Wilcher holds numerous Michigan Wolverines records in the high hurdles including both the team indoor 60 meters (converted), team outdoor 110 meters, and Michigan indoor track building records.

[16] Wilcher's personal best and team record time of 13.52 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles came at the 1985 Penn Relays where he was also the event champion.

[17] He was the Big Ten winter sports athlete of the week in January 1986 for his hurdling performance.

[19][20] Wilcher, who wore #27 as a 6-foot (1.8 m) 185-pound (84 kg; 13.2 st) Wolverine,[21] redshirted as a true freshman in 1982 and played sparingly in his second and third seasons.

[24] In his best games, he rushed for 104 yards (95 m) and a touchdown on 16 carries in a 34–3 win against the South Carolina Gamecocks football team on September 21, 1985,[25] and he rushed for two touchdowns and 74 yards (68 m) in Morris' absence in a 34–17 win against the Wisconsin Badgers football team on October 4, 1986.

[28] A ninth round selection,[29] Wilcher was the first member of the San Diego Chargers 1987 draft class to sign with the team.

[31] At the Olympic Trials on July 23, 1988, at Indiana University Track and Field Stadium, his second-round heat included Arthur Blake, Jack Pierce, and Greg Foster who placed first, second and third respectively as well as Tony Dees.

[32] Wilcher is the former football head coach at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, where entering the 2011 MHSAA semifinals, the team had compiled a 99–56 (.639) record and competed in the MHSAA Class-A playoffs ten times since he became head coach in 1997.

[4] At Cass, some of his athletes have included Vernon Gholston,[35][36] and Marko Cooper, who was 1999 All-USA second team.

[41][42] The 2011 team won the state Division 1 championship by 49–13 margin against Detroit Catholic Central High School at Ford Field with a freshman quarterback, Jayru Campbell, who also plays basketball and runs track.

[46] The 2011 and 2012 state champions had a defensive backfield with future Michigan Wolverine and NFL players Jourdan Lewis and Lano Hill.

[48] The following year, Saline High School upset Cass Tech in the 2014 state semifinals 30–15.

[49][50] In 2015, Cass tech reached the 2015 MHSAA Division 1 state final game at Ford Field, but lost to Romeo High School after losing starting quarterback Rodney Hall earlier in the playoffs.

[51] In 2016 with Hall at quarterback, Cass Tech went undefeated to win the MHSAA Division 1 state championship over Detroit Catholic again.

[52][53] In 2017, Cass Tech lost to West Bloomfield High School in the MHSAA Division I semifinals.

[6] Among the track athletes he has trained are NCAA All-American Pierre Vinson, and current Michigan Wolverine, Nick McCampbell.

"[56] In 2021, Wilcher accepted an off-field position on the staff of Michigan State Spartans football as the Director of Community and High School Relations.