Regardless of how we view things, that dash represents a very short period of time. We often hear the saying time flies. That is a saying that surely has merit. There is no one who can escape what comes at the end of that dash. When that time comes for someone that we love or care for deeply, it is a time of sadness.

It is a time of grieving. It is a time of heartache. Naturally, it should be. It’s OK that those things occur.

What can ease the pain of the loss of a loved one and or someone we care for and respect deeply is looking back on the great memories that we were able to share with that person and find comfort in them. It is and should naturally be easier to find comfort when we realize that the person that we grieve for has left their mark on not only us but they have left their mark on many others as well.

Today many will say a final goodbye to a man that was a loving husband, father, grandfather, teacher, coach, mentor and friend. That man is Mike Packer. A man that was for many, larger than life. He was a giant figure in the lives of so many. As those final goodbyes are said, there will be tears. It is fitting for that to be the case.

PHOTO PROVIDED Former Lock Haven High School coach Mike Packer directs his players during a practice.

Yet among those tears, there will be many memories. When it comes to the former Lock Haven High School coach, the memories are countless for so many people.

Whether they are former students or players, fellow coaches, friends or family, the memories will be present and will eventually bring needed comfort to the grieving. They often say that the mark of a man is what they leave behind and how they impacted those whose lives they touched along the way.

For Packer, it was a life that touched many. I wrote in yesterday’s column about the impact that he had on my life. However, I felt that it was necessary to also share the words of others who knew him well because they either played for him or coached under him during his time as head football coach at Lock Haven and or Central Mountain High Schools.

Drew Smalley had the opportunity to play for Coach Packer from 1995-97. Smalley offered these words of remembrance.

“I’ve thought a lot about our times together…the wins and the losses, the times he yelled at me and the times he hugged me in victory,” recalled Smalley. “When thinking about what he specifically meant to me, I can’t get out of my head the honor it was to finally play for him when I got to high school. My two older brothers played for Coach Packer and had a ton of success. I got to watch him on the sidelines. I got to watch him interact with his players. I got to watch him interact with our community. I wanted to be part of a team led by him.

PHOTO PROVIDED Former Lock Haven High School coach Mike Packer talks to his players during a game.

“Before doing so, I remember when he would come to the junior high practice fields and watch the young kids work at our craft. I was kind of in awe,” Smalley continued. “I also never practiced so hard in my life. I wanted to impress him, even before he was my coach. We all just went a little further for him. That was his gift.

Smalley continued remembering Packer.

“Speaking on behalf of the Lock Haven Bobcats who had the pleasure and honor of playing for him, we would all run through a wall for Coach Packer,” he said. “What makes a coach most effective is how hard his team plays for him. How much they respect him. How much of themselves they’re willing to give him. We gave him everything because we respected him. And, if we’re being honest, because we feared him.”

Todd Allison was a player on each of Packer’s first three district championship teams. He offered his tribute to his beloved coach with these words.

“I think of many lessons learned from Coach, but I think one of the most important that I learned was on a cold, wet, and rainy day in Sharon, PA,” said Allison. “We didn’t play well that day and the dream my brothers and I had been chasing since eighth grade died right there on that muddy field. There would be no state championship. For us, it was devastating. I sat in the locker room in tears. I didn’t want to take the uniform off. It meant more than just a game.

PHOTO PROVIDED Former Lock Haven High School coach Mike Packer celebrates after a game during his time coaching Lock Haven.

“As Coach walked around and offered encouragement, he stopped and sat with me…hand on shoulder, letting me know he was proud of me, proud of us. Be proud of your accomplishments. One loss doesn’t define what you and your teammates have achieved,” Allison continued. “I didn’t know it then, but I do now. Coach was teaching me that sometimes life knocks you down, and it doesn’t work out the way you want it to.

“I’ve certainly experienced that, more than a few times, but you have two choices, you can sit there and feel sorry for yourself or pick yourself up, focus on the positives, and move on,” Allison said.

Allison continued when thinking back about Packer.

“Thank you Coach Packer, for all the time you spent with us. Thanks for always being there. Thanks for the stern words when they were needed, and the encouragement in times of disappointment. You were an example for all of us to follow,” he said.

Allison’s teammate, Brandon Knarr, expressed privilege to have been coached and mentored by Packer as well. Brandon offered these words in reflection.

PHOTO PROVIDED Former Lock Haven High School coach Mike Packer signals alongside former player Mike Rendos during a practice.

“He always pushed us to be our best and gave all he had to the teams he coached. I never heard one player, parent or fan say a negative thing about him. He was , and still is, a legend, especially with anything and everything to do with Lock Haven Bobcat football,” said Knarr. “He turned young boys into men. Everyone gave it their all for him every single practice. He touched so many of his players and to this day 60-year-old men still refer to him as Coach. If you played for him, you are one of the lucky ones to gain the knowledge and life lessons that you could pass on to your own kids.

“Times have changed over the years and his style probably would not fly these days, but I would a million percent choose him to coach my kidsm” Knarr added. “He was more than a coach and always will be. He will never be forgotten.”

Joe Hanna, who is the current football coach at Montoursville, played for Packer from 1994-96 and was part of two district championship teams and an undefeated regular-season team.

“Coach Packer didn’t just coach football. He coached people. Now that I am a head football coach, I see now how much of who I am as a coach–and as a man–came from those Friday night lights and the work it took for myself and my teammates to be successful on the football field,” Hanna said. “From him I learned that winning is a result of the work, not the goal. That success isn’t just measured from the final score but with the kind of people his players became later on in life. Most importantly, when you’re a coach, you’re also a mentor, a teacher, a motivator, and whatever you need to be for your players to be successful not only on the field but to be successful in life.

“Coach Packer taught me more than football. He taught me how to be a good husband, a good teacher and a good coach, and I’m thankful for all of those things,” Hanna added. “He will be missed but his impact on me and my teammates will continue on.”

PHOTO PROVIDED Shown from left is Steve Turchetta, Scott Baker, former Lock Haven High School coach Mike Packer, JP Hanna and Bob Barth. Packer passed away, leaving behind a legacy from his years coaching.

It’s not just former players that offered tributes to Coach Packer. Assistant coaches that served with and under his leadership developed both a deep respect for and friendship with him.

One of those coaches to serve under Packer’s leadership was Steve Turchetta, who would eventually succeed Packer as head coach at Central Mountain. Turchetta had this to say of his mentor and friend.

“Mike was a great coach, teacher and friend. I learned a lot from Mike, not only about football but life. I was coaching with Mike back in the ’80s when the Lock Haven program was struggling. Mike never let the negativity or his naysayers get the best of him,” Turchetta said. “He prepared his team and players each week like they were an undefeated team. He persevered and turned the program into a championship program by never giving up. He always had his player’s and student’s interests before his own.

“Mike was a great role model for his players, students and his assistant coaches. I will forever be indebted to Mike for his guidance and friendship,” Turchetta added.

Bob Dwyer coached both football and track with Packer at Lock Haven and remembered the coach.

“I was fortunate enough to coach track and football with Mike for over thirty years,” said Dwyer. “People may not remember that he was a very successful girls coach. He won many league championships and took girls to states every year. He was a quiet guy but his secret to success was that he was a tremendous competitor.

“He taught toughness, teamwork and determination. Those values have helped many young boys and girls get through tough times in their lives,” Dwyer added. “I never saw him give up on a kid. They knew he had their backs.”

J.P. Hanna spent 20 seasons with Packer and as such, saw him when his teams struggled in the beginning of his head coaching career and when they were winning five district championships in the 1990s. Hanna admits that the early years were tough.

However, he contends that as the ’90s rolled around the players were buying into the program. He credits Packer’s keep-it-simple philosophy and a lot of good athletes for the success that his teams would ultimately achieve.

“As he got his balance as a head coach, he never lost his quiet strength and humility as a person,” said Hanna on Packer. “He had no time for negativity but if a rule was broken the punishment had to follow even if it meant benching a star player.”

Coach Hanna went on to reflect on Coach Packer as a person, coach and friend.

“As a person, Mike’s character was something I believed anyone would want to emulate. As a coach, I admired the fact that while winning was important, building character was something he strived to develop in his athletes …. and as a friend Mike once told me ‘you’re a good friend and a great coach,'” Hanna said. “I thought he was exaggerating the latter part, but I really appreciated that he felt that way as a friend. … I will miss him.”

A common theme expressed by Packer’s former players and assistant coaches was in how he created a true culture of winning at Lock Haven High School. He wanted his players to be proud to wear the purple and white. He wanted them to play for the school, the town, their families and each other.

Coach Packer built a winning culture at Lock Haven High School through hard work, commitment and determination. He gained the respect and admiration of his players, assistant coaches, students, fans and so many others.

But it’s important to remember that it’s not just the winning that set coach apart. Rather it was the manner in which he went about his job.

Coaching was for him a passion that was second only to his family who he loved dearly. The culture that he created was one that you wanted to be a part of. To this day, I can hear coach proclaiming, “Purple Pride.”

Let me just say this, Coach, you were purple pride, Additionally, Coach, know that you’ve completed your dash successfully. Along the way, you created young men who respected you and learned lessons from you that they will have and will pass on to the next generation.

Your impact will not soon be forgotten. Your legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of Clinton County sports fans and all who knew you for many years to come.

Coach, rest in peace knowing that your dash was one that many will remember fondly. Your legacy has been cemented.

PHOTO PROVIDED Shown from left is Randy Ungard, Brian Shilling and former Lock Haven High School coach Mike Packer.

PHOTO PROVIDED Former Lock Haven High School coach Mike Packer talks to his players during a game.