Accident kills childhood friend
Green Bay - Mark Tauscher knew something was wrong when he got a call from his brother around 5 a.m. Friday. Phone calls at that hour never bring good news.
Still, the starting right tackle for the Packers was stunned to learn that a close childhood friend, Troy Schmitt of Colby, had died when his minivan, stopped on railroad tracks, was struck by a train in Auburndale, according to the Wausau Daily Herald.
Tauscher grew up near Auburndale on a farm next to the Schmitts, and Mark and his brothers played sports and games with the nine Schmitt kids. The next neighbor was a mile away, so the families became close.
Troy Schmitt was only 37, a father of five children and a teacher of government and advanced placement classes at Marshfield High School since 1997.
Its hard. His brother and I are very good friends and Ive known Troy for a very long time, Tauscher said after the Packers beat Indianapolis, 34-14, Sunday. Its tough. I mean, its a tough situation.
Tauscher shared the news quietly with a few of his fellow offensive line but managed to perform well Sunday.
Its a tough time but you realize youve got to plug along and go forward, Tauscher said.
The offensive line, playing perhaps its finest game of the season, surrendered no sacks for the first time since the opener at home against Minnesota. To do so, the Packers held off talented pass rushers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.
The Packers also moved the ball efficiently, with 186 yards in the air and 116 on the ground. On the offenses four scoring drives, the Packers moved the ball methodically on 13, 8, 11 and 12 plays.
Right now it feels good, left guard Daryn Colledge said. This was a defense we really felt like we had to lean on. If we could run the ball and wear them down and lean and lean and lean, we could slow them down a little bit.
Tauschers teammates said he was able to put his personal grief aside for the game.
We talked about it outside of the stadium. Its terrible, tackle Tony Moll said. I mean, you feel for him. Its really sad. It was something he was able to get through.
Added right guard Jason Spitz: Yeah, we talked about it, but of course Mark being the guy that he is, he handles everything. Hes a professional.
Tauschers father, Dennis, said the news was on Tauschers mind constantly, however. Mark and brothers Craig and Pat grew up with the Schmitt kids. To get out of working on the dairy farm, the Tauschers would often invite the Schmitts over to play basketball in the shed Dennis built for them. Dennis would find dented panels or broken glass after a Tauscher-Schmitt basketball game.
Their competitiveness carried over into the Tauscher baseball diamond and football on the Milladore farm in central Wisconsin, too. Losing Troy is almost like losing a brother, Dennis Tauscher said.
The boys were just like brothers to each other, he said. They were close in age, close in school, similar likes and dislikes and they were all country kids. It was obviously a tremendous, sad shock when this happened. It was like one big family. They picnicked together, they played ball together. Theyd come help us on the farm with chores and making hay. And wed go up and help them if they needed something.
Craig Tauscher and one of Troys brothers planned to stay at Marks place Sunday night before driving to the Marshfield area today. The families remained close even though the Schmitts had moved to Colby. Tauscher also plans to head home for the services this week.
I know hes going to make it to that ceremony because he thought so much of that family, Dennis Tauscher said.