“Our entire athletic department extends its condolences to the Kachel family," UW-W director of athletics Dr. Paul Plinske said.   "We are honored to have known Dave and consider him a very special person. He will always be near and dear to our hearts.”

Kachel was widely known for his enthusiam for Warhawk athletics.  Witness the Kachel Gymnasium, remodeled in 1999, the Kachel Fieldhouse, which opened January 2001, support for the Student Athlete Center and the Coulthart Family Pavilion, and major backing for the upgrade of the Warhawk outdoor facilities.  The Kachel family support was recognized by renaming the entire athletic complex of facilities the Kachel Family Sports Complex in September 2008. 

Jim Miller, a lifelong Whitewater resident and the longest serving member of the UW-W athletic department, knows how much Kachel will be missed.

"It's pretty well known that Dave was part of buildings and projects, but what you didn't see was the person who wasn't making a big deal about helping other people," the former Warhawk coach Miller said.  "He was paying utility bills for people that couldn't make them, he let people use his apartments when things got tough, and he did a lot more that no one person would know.  It is the humanitarian part of him that didn't get a lot of recognition."

Kachel, a Whitewater graduate, was concerned about the welfare of the university and the community.  UW-Whitewater has a Kachel Center as part of its College of Arts and Communications, and the Kachel Innovation Center was included in the new Hyland Hall for the College of Business and Economics.  

"Dave will be dearly missed, not only for all his contributions to the university and community, but for other support that didn't get noticed," UW-W head football coach Lance Leipold noted.  "He did so many things behind the scenes.  He leaves a great legacy, an outstanding family that is truly embedded in UW-Whitewater, the Whitewater community as well as all of Jefferson County."

Warhawk men's basketball coach Pat Miller had a close relationship with Kachel.  "I think his loss for me is at a personal level," Miller said.  "I knew him since I was a sophomore in college.  I always appreciated the relationship, his advice and support.  From a professional standpoint, his contributions are going to benefit UW-Whitewater students for years to come.  For me, it was two things; a personal relationship that I valued and benefitted from, and then his contributions to the university and community that benefit all of us.

Former UW-W wrestling coach, men's athletic director and professor Dr. Willie Myers had a long association with Kachel.  

"When I was here as as administrator Dave always had an interest in athletics. He contributed financially, and emotionally, to help make UW-Whitewater a presence nationally.  His unselfishness to benefit all students, not, just athletes,was evident by his presence at so many university events," Myers noted.

Kachel and his wife Lolita were inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

Plinske summed up the feelings of his athletic staff.    
 

“Dave was always interested in our growth—as individuals and as a department", added Plinske. "He was passionate about our competitive success and the overall health and well-being of our programs. He truly believed that Warhawk athletics could play a significant and lasting role in contributing to the development of the overall Whitewater community. He helped us create outstanding facilities, a strong support system for our coaches and staff, and a caring environment for our student-athletes. UW-Whitewater athletics is on a 'national map' because of Dave Kachel. We will miss him dearly…he will never be forgotten.”

For additional information:  Paul Plinske, UW-W director of athletics