Mid-Penn Conference high school football teams suffered an enormous loss Friday night when longtime Mechanicsburg coach Rich Lichtel died.

A gregarious, fun-loving and supremely respected head coach for the Wildcats since 1981, Lichtel died at 7:01 p.m. at Harrisburg Hospital, according to Mechanicsburg athletic director Andrea Teeter.

Lichtel, who suffered from prostate cancer, was 60 years old. He is survived by his wife, Beverly; two sons, Jeff and Jason; a daughter, Megan; and two grandchildren. Information on memorial services and funeral will be announced later.

"At least he waited until after kickoff," said Teeter. The Wildcats kicked off their Keystone Division scrap against rival Middletown at 7 p.m. Two of his assistants, Chris Hakel and Jeff Costello, have been serving as co-head coaches in Lichtel's absence.

"He was such a part of all of us, not just the football program but the entire community," Teeter said. "Even though he wasn't on the sidelines, he was with all of us and will be forever. He is Mechanicsburg football."

A standout player at Shamokin High School and Bloomsburg University, Lichtel played minor league football and coached at Bloomsburg before joining Mechanicsburg prior to the 1981 season. He compiled a 160-121-3 record through 2006.

Lichtel learned of his prostate cancer in 2000 but continued coaching until this season.

"I was able to stop by [Friday] morning and say goodbye to him," said longtime Hershey head coach Bob "Gump" May, who added that former quarterback Zach Frazer, now with the University of Connecticut, spent the whole day with his high school coach.

"We said we love him, and he put his thumb up. Now he's pain free, and that's the important thing."

Lichtel played at Shamokin High School (Greyhounds) just before the merger with Coal Township in the mid 1960's. He was an outstanding quarterback at Bloomburg State College (now University) and his favorite target was Bob Tucker. Tucker went on to a 10-year career with the Giants and Viking in the NFL.

Lichtel was a member of the Bernie Romanoskie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Lichtel recently coached Notre Dame and now UCONN quarterback Zach Frazer.

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The Big Three from the 1967 team (L to R): Bob Tucker, Rich Lichtel, Stan Kucharski. Photo courtesy of http://www.bloomu.edu