record and won the Central Penn Catholic Football League Championship, to the Edward Maley and Ben Charles (USC) guided 1956 Central Penn Catholic Football League Championship team which compiled a 10-0 record and the days of James Paul (1961–64) the first alumnus to play in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, there has been a tradition of excellence when it comes to the football program. In 1974, LCHS, led by Phil Kirchner and Bob Gramola, won the highly competitive Tri-County Football League Championship. This was the last championship until a group of athletes under the guidance of Coach Joe Mack and linebacker Tom Burger (Duke), Chris Hogarth (William and Mary), Steve France (Ohio State), and Eric Baumgardner (Syracuse), to mention a few, returned the team to glory in the 1980s. The 1982 team won the inaugural District III AA title, and the 1983 team won a second consecutive title. That team beat a Bishop McDevitt team led by James Bryant (Ohio State), Sean Barowski (Penn State), and future NFL running back Ricky Watters (ND) 7-6. In 1998, the team won a Section III title under the guidance of Coach Tony DiPaolo, whose 156-97-6 record over a twenty-five-year coaching career makes him the winningest football coach in school history. After returning to the gridiron in 1993, DiPaolo stepped down in 2001. His teams consistently fronted strong defensive squads. In 2003, Bruce Harbach took over the Crusader football program. Through the 2009 season, his overall record stands at 78-23. During his tenure as Head Coach, the Crusaders have appeared in the District 3 AA playoffs five straight years. His teams appeared in four of the last five District 3 AA Championship games from 2004–08, taking home two gold medals in 2005 and 2008. The Crusaders made their first ever state playoff appearance in 2005, and in 2008 they advanced to the Eastern Finals and state semi-finals, losing to Philadelphia West Catholic. The Crusaders have won four straight Lancaster/Lebanon League Section 3 titles, went undefeated in the regular season in 2005 and 2006 (10-0), and set school records by recording the most wins in a season during the 2008 campaign, at 13-2. Harbach has been named Lancaster/Lebanon League Section 3 Coach of the Year by his peers three times (2005, 2006, and 2007). Lancaster Catholic won 24 regular season games from 2004 to 2007. The Crusaders have won 34 of 35 Section 3