It’s likely that nobody put their stamp on Chambersburg athletics more than Lowell “Doc” Schlichter.
When he began his term of 33 years as the CASHS athletic director, the school offered only two sports – football and basketball. When Schlichter retired from that post in 1974, there were 34 interscholastic sports for boys and girls.
A CASHS graduate, Schlichter returned to Chambersburg after graduating from Gettysburg College and made his mark as the head coach of the boys basketball program. He coached the Trojans from 1940 to 1963, and in those 23 years, his teams were 387-113, for an impressive winning percentage of .774.
Chambersburg collected 5 District 3 championships under Schlichter. His best team may have been in 1943-44, when the Trojans had the school’s only undefeated regular season (20-0) and won a district crown. They fell to defending state champion Lower Merion in the PIAA quarterfinals, 31-30.
His final team in 1963-64 went 20-2.
Schlichter also officiated PIAA events in football, basketball and track & field, was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, coached one year of football for CASHS (the team went 7-1-1 in 1943) and was a high school guidance counselor.
In addition to helping Chambersburg’s athletic department grow considerably, Schlichter was the driving force behind organizing the SCAL (South Central Athletic League), which was the precursor to the current Mid Penn Conference.
Partly for his work in that league’s formation, Schlichter was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Director of the Year in 1975.
He passed away in 1977 at the age of 67.
By Ed Gotwals
