Former Emory and Henry Football Coach Lou Wacker to be Honored Sat., Sept. 10

Aug. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- EMORY, VA—Emory and Henry College will host Coach Lou Wacker Day, Sat., Sept. 10th, 2011. Coach Wacker is one of the longest tenured coaches in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) history, and with a 71.9 winning percentage, one of the college’s most successful coaches. He will be honored with a pre-game tailgate gathering of former players and fans, a halftime special honor, and a post-game dinner at the college.
 
Wacker is heralded as the coach who returned the E&H football program to a legacy of success that includes: a 1921 game against the Univ. of Tennessee, two appearances (1950, 1951) in the Tangerine Bowl, and the origination of the "Emory & Henry Spread Formation," made famous by former Univ. of Florida/current Univ. of South Carolina football head coach Steve Spurrier, and used on occasion by the NFL's Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, and Buffalo Bills.
 
Wacker earned coaching bona fides in his 21 years at rival Hampden-Sydney College, where his defense was credited with taking the Tigers to two back-to-back appearances in the Knute Rockne Bowl (formerly the Small College Division East Regional championship from 1969 to 1972, and played again as a national-semifinal Div. II bowl game in 1976 and 1977.)

Wacker inherited a Wasp football program with just one winning season in the previous 13. Over the next 23 years, he would earn a 164-76 record, win 11 ODAC championships, take the Wasps to five NCAA playoff (of the college’s nine) appearances, produce five ODAC players-of-the-year, 136 All-ODAC First-Team honorees, 38 All-Americans, and was named conference Coach of the Year five times. He was inducted into the Emory and Henry College Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
 
Stories about Wacker’s success have appeared in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and USA Today.
 
The public is welcome to all events. Tickets for the post-game dinner are available for $20. Reservations are recommended and can be made by emailing alumni@ehc.edu or calling (276) 944-6109.