Help me write my next book!
October 6, 2025
In 2013, former Towson men’s lacrosse coach Carl Runk, a member of at least four Halls of Fame, self-published a 408-page collection of humorous lacrosse stories entitled Along the Way. The book contains no fewer than 177 separate stories, with 111 of them written by Coach Runk himself.
If you ever met Coach Runk, who passed away about this time last fall at the age of 88, you know what a great storyteller he was. He used to emcee the national lacrosse coaches’ conventions, and he’d tell at least one great joke between each presentation. I only wish I could remember just a few of them…
The other 66 stories were submitted by coaching peers, referees, a lacrosse parent or two, and a few administrators/athletic directors. A Who’s Who of college coaches headlines the list of contributors: Dom Starsia, Tony Seaman, Jim Berkman, Kevin Corrigan, Bob Scott, Ted Garber, Ray Rostan, Tom Leanos, JB Clarke, Jack Emmer, and Lars Tiffany, to name a few. The ubiquitous Upstate referee Matt Palumb is another contributor.
Well, I cleared the cobwebs off my email machine and found the following message from Coach Runk, dated 2009:
“Hi Coach,
I need a favor. I’m in the process of writing a book of humorous stories involving the sport of lacrosse. The book touches on other sports such as wrestling & football but basically involves the game of lacrosse. If you could take the time to recall an incident that you feel is humorous, or outrageously funny, I would appreciate hearing about it. Maybe it involved recruiting, practice, a game, officiating, or something you feel is just worthy of sharing. You will receive full credit for your story.
I hope you might take the time to help and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours in Lacrosse,
Carl Runk”
Then, about a year later, he sent a follow-up, the same email as before, but with this addition at the end:
“If you have already sent in a story, please disregard (or send in another one!!).”
This was right about the time I was starting my weekly RTD blogs, so I jumped at the opportunity to submit two pieces. One tells the story of a Laker road trip in which one of our players managed to injure himself in a humorous manner on a bus trip up to Canton; the other is a serious tribute to the late Ed Purcell, former All-American at RIT and, later, head coach at Keuka College, on the occasion of a memorable game between Keuka and Oswego State.
Three years later, in 2013, I received this email:
“ARE YOU TIRED OF CONSTANTLY READING ABOUT OBAMA-CARE - AND WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A GOOD RELAXING READING BOOK? WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!
CARL RUNK’S NEW BOOK “ALONG THE WAY” IS A COMPILATION OF HUMOROUS EXPERIENCES WHICH HAVE OCCURRED DURING EARLIER TIMES IN COACH RUNK’S TENURE. THE ADDITION OF HUMOROUS STORIES SHARED BY OTHER POPULAR LACROSSE COACHES MAKES THIS AN ENJOYABLE READ. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SPORTS HUMOR THEN “ALONG THE WAY” IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. ARE YOU LOOKING TO BUY A GIFT FOR A FRIEND? LOOK NO FURTHER!
“ALONG THE WAY” CAN BE PURCHASED AT AMAZON.COM
AND IT’S INEXPENSIVE!!
Coach Runk had done it! And there were my two submissions, on pages 207 and 211! I was published, and I was thrilled (of course, the first was attributed to “Dan C. Witmer Oswego College,” and the other was curiously credited to “Anonymous Coach Oswego College.” Oh well – I know they’re mine).
Most of the 177 stories are just two or three pages long, so it’s easy to pick up and set back down. I checked this week, and it’s still available at Amazon.com: carl runk - Search Shopping. I think the price is $15.95.
So, I got to thinking…
I know a lot of lacrosse people. Coaches, referees, and administrators. Newer, younger lacrosse people as well as retirees, veterans, old-timers, and OGs. And it’s been 12 years since Coach Runk’s book was published. Surely the lacrosse world is ready for more “along the way” stories!
I can ask for help, just like Coach did, except I’d rely more on outside contributions (there’s no way I’m writing 111 of 177 stories!). I’ve got some fun stories to add, but I hope to be more of an editor than an author…
But before I started on this project, I wanted to get the blessing and green light from Coach Runk’s family. Without any real legal understanding, I figured I could at least get an OK from them.
So back in June I Googled the name of one of Coach’s sons and came up with an email address. I gave it a try, and 14 minutes later I got a reply! Keith Runk asked me to give his Dad credit for the original idea and otherwise wished me luck – and also asked me to let him know when the book got published.
That was easy! Thanks, Keith!
So here’s the offer: send me your best and funniest lacrosse stories. Make me and others laugh. Surely there are great tales of mistakes, accidents, misunderstandings, quick wit, outrageous situations, and more.
I’m inviting contributions from all directions – coaches, officials, admins, parents, fans, and even players – and from all levels – youth, scholastic, college, club, pro, and international. Lynbrook HS, Oswego State, and Oswego HS alumni. Lake Placid friends. FIL and World Lacrosse associates. Lacrosse camp escapades. … this could be interesting!
Let’s set an initial deadline of December 31, 2025 and see what kind of results I can get.
Email your best, funniest stuff to me at daniel.witmer@oswego.edo or dan@witmersolutions.com. Try to keep them fairly short (2-4 pages), and don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or punctuation, font or text size – after all, “I know a guy!” Give your story a title, and be sure to provide your name, title, and phone number.
The working title of my book is More Lacrosse Stories Along the Way.
Hopefully I can collect more contributions in my first year of solicitation and won’t still be asking a year from now.
Please, more than you’ve ever done, please help spread the word.
Thanks, and thanks for reading. Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD newsletters via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.
In the meantime, please drive carefully, everyone. Put down those cell phones. Volunteer. Donate blood. Get your shots; get your boosters. Love your neighbor. Help someone in need, and always take care of your crew!
But most importantly, stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind.
- Dan Witmer
Dan is currently 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 18th year assisting Summit Lacrosse Ventures (now the PLL) 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 just served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea. 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 from 2007-2024, raising more than one million dollars for childhood cancer research.
In the fall of 2022, 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 lives in Prague with his wife Jane and son Benji, and younger son Eric lives in Denver, CO. Both earned degrees at SUNY Brockport and played four years of lacrosse for the Golden Eagles.
The hope is for many more road trips to come.