A community is mourning the loss of a beloved football player, son, brother, and friend.
It was a day full of emotion for the hundreds of people who gathered at Shelby Christian Church in Shelbyville to remember 21-year-old Tucker Schwengel.
Schwengel died early Saturday morning in a single car crash. Schwengel was driving south on Shelby County Road 1950 East when his car went off the road.
Today a long line of friends and family circled the church where Tucker attended Sunday mass with his family. More than 700 members of the Shelbyville and Millikin University community payed their respects to the Schwengel family.
"I just couldn't believe it," says Travis Goveia, Tucker's former teammate and friend, "I originally met Tucker when we were on the Illinois Shrine Allstar Team together. We were really close friends. We were good buddies."
Goveia remembers Schwengel for his outgoing personality. "He was the most positive person you could ever meet. Nobody ever had a bad thing to say about him. He was always positive, always had a smile on his face. He was a great athlete, great kid, and everybody loved him."
"[He was] one of the best people I've ever met," says Alex Punton, a childhood friend, "[He had] a unique personality. He was something special."
While Tucker was a great athlete, friends and family members say Tucker enjoyed hunting, fishing, and traveling, but it was his smile and happiness that stood out the most. Former teammates say they're still in shock Schwengel is gone.
"All of us senior football players just sat outside our friend Ben's house, which is where Tucker used to live. We just sat there. None of us said anything for two hours. It was just unbelievable," explains Goveia.
Tucker job-shadowed at a local police department and dreamed of becoming a police officer.
Before attending Millikin, Schwengel was a standout quarterback for Shelbyville High School.
The Schwengel family declined to comment.
Illinois State Police are still investigating what caused the fatal car accident.
