By Matt Browning
William Thacker was a first generation college attendee and graduate and according to him he had “little support and faith that his journey through college would be a fruitful one.”
But then the Hutchinson Community College football program came calling and Thacker’s life was forever changed.
“The world class education, the pursuit of excellence on the field, and the accountability the coaches, staff, and administration had for student athletes left me with a real world understanding of the level of person, athlete, and member of society I wanted to be,” Thacker said. “It challenged my decisions often, held me responsible for my actions and ultimately left me as a better man than when I came in.”
Thacker was part of then head coach Rion Rhoades’ second recruiting class and said the whole coaching staff showed how much they cared from day one of the recruiting process. Assistant coach Josh Gooch was also part of the recruiting process.
“The impact they both left on me was unmatched, especially going into this new journey of my life with little support and particularly little male support,” Thacker said.
If a prospective athlete or even student was interested in going to Hutchinson Community College, Thacker said there should be no hesitation.
“Junior College athletics are alive and well,” Thacker said. “It (Hutch CC) gave me a platform to help navigate my athletic abilities, help point me in the direction of career path, and most importantly I didn’t fade away in the giant pool of a major university. I felt desired, cared for, and felt my voice was heard. I cannot say enough about HCC. If you dive in and connect you’ll forge lifelong friendship, make countless memories, and of course win.”
