Away Game Evolution

March 2, 2026

This one is for the old guys… like me. The ones who played two or even three college games a week, with just two refs, no clearing counts, as many long poles as your coach wanted, and a substitution horn on any and every stoppage of play.

Ah, those were the days, weren’t they?

After a couple recent road trips a few weeks ago, I found myself ruminating about decades of team travel. Everything from private cars to mini-buses, to 15-passenger vans, to chartered motor coaches… even yellow school buses.

We’ve come a long way, baby.

Let’s consider this timeline…

1978-1982 Personal cars and minibuses

Today’s players – and probably even their parents – would be shocked to learn that there was a time when college teams traveled to away games in their own vehicles. We drove our own cars to a fall ball tournament in Canton. We split up and drove our own cars down to Long Island to play games over Spring Break – and we stayed at the homes of the LI team members. Our parents all fed their two or three Upstate guests. We had no travel budget… no transportation, no lodging, and no meal money.

But we managed, and in those days, Oswego played CW Post, Stonybrook, Dowling, Southampton, St. Johns, the US Merchant Marine Academy, and SUNY-Maritime.

It was the wild, wild west of college lacrosse.

When things got slightly better, we had the use of a couple minibuses – the kind of vehicle you see in prison movies as the cons arrive. I don’t know how the college provided transportation for multiple teams, as we only had two or three of these little things at our disposal. They were painted green with gold trim, and they took a beating. The image of former teammate/assistant coach Jim Onacki sitting on the center “hump” – facing backwards as we traveled all over Upstate NY – will forever be in my mind. I don’t remember the details (honestly!), but on one trip we managed to somehow crack the windshield of one of the little green beasts. Afraid of repercussions, we all agreed to explain that “a rock hit the bus,” and that became our mantra and rally cry for not only the rest of the trip back to campus, but for the next few weeks as well.

I don’t remember any kind of dress code. I mean, why dress up if you were going to a game in a friend’s car? It was strictly up to the individual, and some made a bit of an effort, while others didn’t.

We also got meal money after a few years, and we quickly learned about the location of every Ponderosa in New York state. “All-you-can-eat” outweighed the quality of the actual meal, and we actually looked forward to post-game meals on the road.

1983 -early 90s 15-passenger vans

When I started coaching in 1982-1983, I had to make sure the rules changed. I knew what went on when I was a player, captain, and even assistant coach my senior year (long story), but now as head coach, we had to come to a new understanding with the team – and most of them were my former teammates.

I’ve been forever appreciative of that group’s cooperation and support, as they made the transition very manageable. But I was no longer droving the “veteran bus.” Now I found myself driving the “rookie bus”….

Team captains were asked to drive the second bus, and after a few years, we transitioned to big 15-passenger Dodge vans. Travel was still a guessing game – sometimes we’d get three vans; other times we’d get two 15-passenger vans and an 8-passenger van.

Again, somehow we managed.

Imagine taking the team in three vans to a place like Oneonta – where there is no one, easy route. We made one memorable trip where we got separated before we got to Syracuse, and by the time the third van arrived at SUNY Oneonta (minutes before the opening face-off), we discovered that we had taken three completely different paths to get there. No Google Maps back then, no Ways, and no cell phones. We occasionally tried CB radios in those days (remember those?), but we found that they were unreliable.

I was a Texaco road map guy back then, and I don’t remember ever getting really lost – but I can’t say the same for Van #2 or #3.

I encouraged the guys to dress up for away games, and I think we got them to wear a shirt and tie without too much fuss. We looked respectable at not only Ponderosa, but also Old Country Buffets (a welcomed new option!), and Brooks BBQ in Oneonta every time we played at Oneonta or Hartwick. We made a most memorable stop at McCarthy’s in Potsdam (or Canton?) one night after a Clarkson or Potsdam game – by sheer coincidence, the same night as a sorority formal. Let’s just say the boys did not want to leave McCarthy’s that night.

And every once in a while, we did actually stop for fast food. I’ll always remember Ross Maniaci ’85 ordering a grilled cheese at a Rochester McDonald’s. I was stunned; you can’t order a grilled cheese at Mickey-Dees! But Ross had apparently done this before; he simply asked the counter person to flip the buns, skip the burger, and give him an improvised grilled cheese sandwich – and they did! Who knew?

And many of those places offered free meals for coaches, and I’ll confess that, on more than one occasion, I passed some of my older-looking seniors off as assistants. Anything to stretch our meal money!

Early 90s – 2010 Motor coaches!

We were lucky, but other colleges had some accidents with students driving team vans, and there were some serious injuries, ensuing lawsuits, and sometime around the early ‘90s, everyone managed to find funding for chartered motor coaches.

Suddenly, transportation transformed.

What a luxury! Not only did I not have to drive any more, but now I no longer needed to worry about an assistant coach or team member driving the other vehicles. I could sleep on the way home, which was no small consideration when we had a 4 PM weekday game and an alarm clock at home set for 5:30 AM.

On one occasion, however, we had to worry about the bus driver staying awake…

We were on our way home in a messy rainstorm after a game somewhere near Rochester when assistant coach Bill Carney saw that our driver was putting his hand out the window and then rubbing his face with his wet hand – apparently in an effort to stay awake! Once Billy saw this happening, he started a lively conversation with the driver, just to make sure he didn’t have to keep putting his hand out the window.

And on these motor coaches, we could even watch movies!

Earliest video memories include PJ Williams ’96 bringing MMA VHS tapes, and Pulp Fiction, too. Other team favorites over the years included Slapshot, Full Metal Jacket, Days of Thunder, Boondock Saints, Reservoir Dogs, The Shawshank Redemption, and Braveheart. Somewhere along the way, VHS tapes gave way to DVDs, and it seemed like someone on the team became responsible for bringing an assortment of options on every trip.

We traveled with an athletic trainer for the first time.

After visiting one of Jeff Tambroni’s Cornell practices one winter, we stole the idea of a team member identified simply as “QC” – for “Quality Control” – and he was responsible for knowing how many people we had on the bus at any given time – before we left campus, when we were about to leave another campus after the game, or after we had eaten and were about to make the trek back to Oswego. Truth be told, we usually picked a freshman or sophomore we thought would be a good captain candidate down the road, and our QC either got the job or didn’t – and we were taking notice.

We stuck with a shirt and tie dress code until somewhere in the mid ‘00s – when UnderArmour was becoming the real dress code of the day for all athletes – when we agreed that if everyone wore their team UA polo and khaki pants, we didn’t have to require shirt and tie. The polos were a big hit, and we looked sharp.

I wrote long ago about the “bullying” that somehow evolved on the bus. Seniors and vets would always sit in the back, and the freshman would sit up front, right behind the coaches. But when it was time to pull into an eatery’s parking lot, the seniors would call out, “Sit down!” to make sure they got off the bus first. Sounds silly now, and it was silly then, but the younger guys would comply, even though I encouraged them to defy the privileged older guys. No one really got too upset either way…

With better travel budgets and a motor coach, we also had better meal money. However, the per diem never really matched the number of people we traveled with, so I did everything I could to stretch our advance. With every restaurant, fast food place, or pizza joint, I’d start off with our tax-exempt status; then I’d start the real negotiations. Free drinks, a percentage off the bill – whatever it took to feed our group.

We continued to hit Brooks every time we were in Oneonta, and Sergi’s Pizza became our go-to whenever we made trips to Canton or Potsdam. We went to Nick Tahou’s in Rochester one time, just to say we did. We made occasional stops at an Applebee’s or Olive Garden, but maybe the best meals we ever had were when we had away games the day before Easter. Because a large percentage of the team went home afterwards with family, the remaining squad was treated to unusually huge price limits. I recall a feast at the Red Lobster in Elmira after a big win, and at a BBQ place in Brockport (that no longer exists) after another big win. We ate like kings!

2011-2022 School buses!

Then life got turned upside down and I went from coaching college lacrosse to high school. For 12 years I coached JV and varsity boys’ lacrosse at Oswego HS, and I had to adjust from chartered buses to yellow school buses.

“The horror, the horror.”

The trips to RFA, Rush-Henrietta, Hilton, Carthage, General Brown, Cortland, and Indian River definitely tested my resolve. Less comfortable seats, no trainer, and loud kids half-dressed for games made for some serious soul-searching, but I persevered.

And during this same time, I coached girls ice hockey at Oswego HS, too, which meant even more school bus jaunts – to places like Canton, Potsdam, Massena, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Albany, and Ithaca. I could sleep on the motor coaches, but I had a real tough getting any sleep on those cheeseboxes.

And despite my resolve to avoid fast food as much as possible, that was the only acceptable option after away games… I begrudgingly partook, reminding myself that at least it was free.

“O, woe is me.”

Sometime between 2010-present Motor coaches again!

Meanwhile, the Oswego State Lakers were still enjoying the creature comforts of their chartered buses, and when I rejoined the Lakers as an assistant coach in 2023, I was thrilled to get back on a 55-passenger coach once again. However, I was taken aback by some of the changes that had happened somewhere along the way.

The buses still had DVD players, but the team didn’t watch movies any more… at all. Not on the way to games, not on the way back.

Hmm. Maybe it’s the prevalence of cell phones. Maybe it’s a culture thing. I don’t know.

Comfort seems to be the key when it comes to attire. For the past three years at least, the Lakers traveled in team swag – sweats and hoodies. This year we’ve upgraded a bit and the players wear new quarter-zips and khakis. Much better, if you ask me…

Also, the team travels with plenty of drinks and snacks now – to and from. Cases of water and lots of sports drinks. Chips, fruit, cookies, fruit snacks, Rice Crispy Treats, Pop-Tarts, Uncrustables – you name it – and even more on the way home because parents bring generous amounts of additional goodies.

The team doesn’t hit restaurants anymore; instead, we get pizza, subs, or boxed meals and eat at the bus in the parking lot, or in the lobby of our opponent. These tailgates are fun and relaxing, more so after a win, of course, but I enjoy meeting our guys’ parents and playing “Do you know so-and-so?” with them. I’m older than the Oswego parents these days (but younger than the grandparents!), and I have fun talking about past players and past experiences.

After all, it’s been 48 years since I came to Oswego as a freshman. 48 years of lacrosse away games.

Crazy.

Thanks for reading this week. Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Happy New Year and best wishes to Road Trip Dad readers everywhere! Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan is the author of four books: The Best of Road Trip Dad – The Laker Lacrosse Collection is an accumulation of 45 articles written for www.JustLacrosseUpstate between the years 2012 and 2018, about the history and traditions, the people, and the stories of the Oswego State men’s lacrosse program. … and piles to go before I sleep – The Book of Wit is his memoir describing his 33-year career teaching HS English and coaching at Hannibal Central School. His third book, The Best of RTD – A Lacrosse Coach’s Handbook contains more than 55 weekly Road Trip Dad blogs spanning 2012-2020, featuring Xs and Os, highs and lows, and even some Dos and Don’ts, and plenty of advice for coaches of all levels. His latest book, The Best of Road Trip Dad – On the Shoulders of Giants: Upstate’s Lacrosse Founders and Legends, profiles more than 50 icons who helped grow the game in Upstate NY. All four books are available at www.amazon.com.

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In addition to coaching the Oswego State Laker men’s lacrosse team part-time from 1982-2010, Dan also coached JV and varsity girls’ soccer at Hannibal for 16 years, girls’ ice hockey at Oswego HS for 8 years, and boys’ JV and varsity lacrosse at Oswego HS for 12 years.

Dan is now in his 18^th year assisting Summit Lacrosse Ventures with their various tournaments, especially the annual Lake Placid Summit Classic, and he worked for 3d Lacrosse for three years as well. He has served on the staffs of the 2014 FIL World Games in Denver, the 2015 FIL Indoor Championships in Syracuse, the 2018 FIL World Games in Netanya, Israel, the 2022 U21 World Championship in Limerick, Ireland, and the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego in 2023. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. In 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide.

Dan served as the Community Service Coordinator for the Oswego State athletic department from 2010-2023 and has been a certified lacrosse referee for the past seven years. He has also been the Volunteer Event Organizer for the annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser in Oswego for the past 18 years, raising more than one million dollars for childhood cancer research.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.