Norman “Norm” Douglas Thacker was born in Ohio was a resident of Hampton since 1955. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and worked at the Hampton VA Medical Center, until his retirement in 1999, after 32 years.

He was also a devoted coach and father of the Hampton City Youth Wrestling, for over 40 years.  Although he never wrestled in an official match, Norm coached over 2,000 wrestlers in his Hampton Youth Programs.

Norm began coaching youth wrestling in 1969 and was an enormous promoter and volunteer for Hampton youth wrestling and his direct contributions helped thousands of youth wrestlers. Coach Thacker was best known in his long-time role as the head wrestling coach for his Hampton Jaguars Youth Wrestling Club. Without exception, Coach Thacker’s fundraising efforts ensured every Hampton City youth that wanted to wrestle would not be prohibited due to financial hardships. Over the years, he and his wife Dee of 54 years, also took in numerous unprivileged Hampton children and helped them to move on successful lives.

Norm served as the Commissioner for the Hampton Youth Wrestling League and along with several other individuals helped to create the current Peninsula Youth Wrestling League (PYWL), which had combined with the York County Youth League. The PYWL today remains a vibrant organization committed to supporting youth wrestling across the Peninsula and surrounding areas.

Over the years, Norm and Dee have also been long-time volunteers for the Peninsula Wrestling Association’s (PWA) Virginia Duals National Invitational Wrestling Tournament.

At 74, Coach Thacker can still be found on the mat working with his youth wrestling team!