Thad Jaracz

{{short description|American basketball player}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Thad Jaracz

| image = Thad Jaracz 1967.jpeg

| width = 160px

| caption = Jaracz, circa 1967

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|12|15}}

| birth_place = Lexington, Kentucky

| nationality = American

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 5

| weight_lb = 230

| high_school = Lafayette (Lexington, Kentucky)

| college = Kentucky (1965–1968)

| draft_year = 1968

| draft_round = 5

| draft_pick = 60

| draft_team = Boston Celtics

| career_start =

| career_end =

| career_position = Center / power forward

| career_number = 55

| highlights =

• Third-team All-American – AP (1966)

}}

Thad Jaracz (born December 15, 1946) is an American former basketball player, best known for his All-American college career at the University of Kentucky.

Jaracz came to UK from Lexington, Kentucky's Lafayette High School. A 6'5" center, Jaracz anchored the middle as a sophomore for Adolph Rupp's undersized "Rupp's Runts" in 1965–66. Jaracz was the team's third-leading scorer, averaging 13.2 points per game as the Wildcats made it to the 1966 NCAA championship game, where they famously lost to the Texas Western Miners, the first team to win a title with five black starters.{{cite web | last = Clay | first = John | title = 25 years later, Kentucky's 'runts' still special | work = Baltimore Sun | date = February 17, 1991| url = https://www.baltimoresun.com/1991/02/17/25-years-later-kentuckys-runts-still-special/ | access-date = June 21, 2014}} At the close of the season, Jaracz joined teammates Louie Dampier and Pat Riley on the Associated Press All-American team, earning third team honors.{{cite web | last = | first = | title = AP All-America selections | work = basketball-reference.com | date = | url = https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/all_america.html | accessdate = June 21, 2014}}

Following the close of his college career in 1968, Jaracz was drafted both by the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association and the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association. However, he never played in either league. Instead, he entered into a military career, eventually overseeing the ROTC at the University of Louisville.