In Memory of Coach Richie Moran

May 2, 2022

Hall of Fame Coach Richie Moran passed away last Sunday at the age of 85. I consider myself to be among the very fortunate to have known Coach Moran and to have worked for him and Cornell University at his summer lacrosse camps. Looking back on those years and experiences, I think I would have agreed to pay for that opportunity. 

Eight years ago, I wrote a series of RTD blogs highlighting the memories and nostalgia connected to the many years I spent working at various lacrosse camps from the late ‘80s through 2010. In “This One Time, at Lacrosse Camp… Part II” (September 1, 2014), I described the joy I experienced working for Coach Moran. 

I hope these memories bring smiles to those who knew him. 

“The other instructional camp that gave me one or two weeks of summer employment – and a lifetime of fond memories – was the Cornell Lacrosse Camp, under the direction of legendary Hall of Famer Richie Moran. Technically, there was the Quik-Stik Lacrosse Camp and the Cornell Summer Program Lacrosse Camp, but I wasn’t smart enough to ever detect a difference. Coach Moran was in charge at both, and I was happy to be around to catch his act. 

I could probably write several weeks’ worth of Road Trip Dad stuff about Coach Moran if my memory was better, but I do recall enough to describe some highlights here. Whether it was his trademark whistle (many could and would imitate, but there was only one real thing), his slogan (“It’s great to be here!”), his jokes (“Coaches, spread out – one hand grenade and we’ll lose the whole group of you!”), his expressions (“Big fella,” “Young man,” and “that sector”), or his legendary memory (“How’s your brother ___ doing? And your parents, ____ and ____?” . . . and he always got the names right). 

Working at the Cornell Camp and being around Coach Moran was like watching a professional comedy act. Richie would announce the time and location of helicopter rides to the campers. He sent kids on wild-goose chases, usually to athletic trainer Jimmy Case seeking the always-elusive “finnyockatine powder” (spelling help, anyone? “Finiocatine”? “Phyneoccateen”? Is there really a correct spelling for a made-up word?), but of course Jimmy was wise to the ploy, and would send the kids’ search back in Coach Moran’s direction. Coach Moran also convinced the 300+ campers that they should face Schoellkopf Field’s landmark crescent while they sang “God Bless America” in unison - every morning - because that’s where the ESPN cameras were located. 

The ruses weren’t limited to only the campers. Richie also told the staff that there’d be a cash prize awarded on the final day for the Coach of the Week, and that rookie coaches would have to sing their college’s alma mater at an evening get-together. We never knew exactly what we should believe . . . 

I’m guessing I worked at the Cornell Camps from about 1988-1989 through 1997, Coach Moran’s final year as head coach. Like the Hobart Camp, I was introduced to a group of proud and talented Cornell alumni, assistant coaches, and current players and, like my time at Hobart, these people welcomed me and made me feel right at home. The assistants that first year were Sam Carpenter and Keith Reitenbach, and over the next 10 years I was fortunate to also work with Paul Schimoler, Bobby Wynn, and Brian Rodgers. Then there were Big Red players like John Tillman, Scott Burnham, and Tim Shea, and many coaches I met because of the Cornell Camps – John Spallone (Cortland HS), Gordie Pollard (Vestal), Ed Colverd (St. Mary’s HS), Jack Moran (Chaminade HS), Al Schroeder (Longwood HS), Gerry Byrne (University of Notre Dame), Bill Wofford (Worthington-Kilbourne HS), Richie Barnes (Cortland State and Ithaca College), Al Brady (Worthington HS), John Roth (Island Trees HS), and Ron Doctor (Skaneateles HS). 

I remember taking an afternoon break in one of Ithaca’s beautiful watering holes with J.R. and J.R. – John Roth and the late, great John Rainis, younger brother of Matt and Joe, high school teammates of mine. I do mean fresh, cold-water pools of water, not some euphemism for something else. 

Two campers stand out – Ben Wineburg, a young goalie from Auburn HS who I recruited, only to lose him to rival Nazareth. Ben went on to be an All-American, Player of the Year, national champion – and my sons’ head coach for their years at SUNY Brockport… and Adam Sargent, a talented defenseman from Brighton who I also recruited, only to lose him to Notre Dame. Adam was paralyzed after a horrible car accident in South Bend, but his story is an inspiring one – do yourself a favor and Google his name and the word “lacrosse” and then read Pete Thamel’s Sports Illustrated article written in 2013. 

In my time spent at Cornell, I recall hearing news of Jerry Garcia’s death, nights spent waiting at the hot truck outside the dorm, learning about Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, and hearing about a bunch of campers who got caught sneaking out of the dorm at night and their punishment – running laps in the dorm parking lot. I remember playing in a brief, staff-only, full-field scrimmage, when I had the unlikely opportunity to play the game with the late Paul Schimoler – and that’s all that I remember of that scrimmage, watching him make save after save and talking me through every second of team defense. I was so mesmerized playing on the same team as “Shmoles” that today, I can’t name for certain even one other player on the field that day. 

I’ll always hold Cornell’s dining halls in my memory (and heart… and stomach), as I have never eaten such great food in my life – with unlimited quantity and quality! I’ll also remember former Laker and St. Joseph’s head coach Paul Perdue ‘87 commenting, “I never thought I’d eat like this till after I got married!” The husbands seated at that table got quite the laugh at Perdy’s naiveté. 

And, when I think of the Cornell Camps, I’ll always remember Peter Kohn, feathers in his hat, camera in his hand, and his daily wake-up calls (“Time to get up! Time to make the World Team!” or “Time to thank Coach Moran for a wonderful week of lacrosse camp!”) – and of course all the staff imitations…” 

I wrote the following blog on www.justlacrosse.com three years later. “Crashing Richie Moran's 80th Birthday Party and Its Consequences” was posted on January 30, 2017 and, in fond memory of Coach, I thought I’d share it with readers again… 

“OK, technically, I didn’t crash the party – it was open to the public. But when I walked into the Moakley House on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course on the Cornell campus on Saturday, I felt like I might as well be wearing a Princeton coat and waving a Go Tigers pennant. 

For those who didn’t see the announcement, Hall of Famer Richie Moran, head coach of the Cornell men’s lacrosse team from 1969 through 1997, was doing a book signing AND celebrating his 80th birthday. He had just released his autobiography, entitled It’s Great To Be Here, a 350-page conversation between Coach Moran and Steve Lawrence, sportswriter for the Ithaca Times since 1992, and this was his homecoming, a party that coincided with his birthday. 

The announcement of the book signing said that the party went from 1 – 6 PM, and I aimed for the front end. By sheer coincidence, I had bumped into current head coach of the Big Red, Matt Kerwick, during the week, and he said that at the US Lacrosse National Convention in Baltimore the week before, Coach Moran had talked to a long line of well-wishing book-buyers and written paragraph-long inscriptions, so I decided to try to be at the front end of that line. 

I pulled into the fairly-empty Moakley House parking lot about ten minutes before 1 PM, so I turned off the GPS, checked the phone, and went inside. It was a beautiful clubhouse, and workers were still bringing out hors-d'oeuvres. There were about eight people already in line; among them were the ubiquitous pair of Mike Messere and Bob Deegan, varsity coaches at West Genesee HS (I continue to feel validated and “on the right track” whenever I’m in the same place they are – I mean, if they want copies of It’s Great To Be Here, then so should I, right?). 

I waited for the West Genny coaches to finish with the star of the day, and then I spoke briefly with Coach Deegan. He nodded to the line and suggested that I get in it before it got any longer. I wisely took his advice and got in line. 

Two people in front of me, a young man (probably in his 20s) was wearing an iconic T-shirt from Richie’s Quick Stick Lacrosse Camp. “It’s Great To Be Here,” the shirt read in cursive writing. I envied him – I had worked at the Cornell Lacrosse Camp and the Quick-Stik Lacrosse Camp for about eight years, often two camps in the same summer, yet I didn’t have any of the camp swag after all the years. 

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to speak with him. Turned out he had gone to the camp in the years I worked there as a guest coach. He said without hesitation that Coach Moran’s camp had been a life-changing experience. 

Hyperbole? Not in my book. I spent my summers working at summer camps from age 14-22, and then from (roughly) 1988 until 2010. There’s no doubt that summer camps changed my life. 

We talked for a few minutes, and then it was his and his father’s turn for handshakes and autographs. A few minutes later, it was my turn. I was buying three copies of his book – one for myself, one for Oswego HS head coach Doc Nelson, and one to raffle off at our upcoming St. Baldrick’s fundraiser. 

Coach Moran smiled and shook my hand, and we spoke briefly about the memorable years of lacrosse camps on Schoellkopf Field. He wrote a nice note to Doc, wrote a different note to me, and then just signed the third copy. In a moment that went far too quickly, I was done. 

The West Genny coaches were gone. I saw Coach Moran’s wife, Pat, and we made eye contact. She seemed to recognize me, though we’d only met once or twice at camps. She said I looked familiar, and after I introduced myself, we spoke for a few minutes. I told her I was glad he wrote the book, that we didn’t have enough lacrosse books out there. She said, “It’s not really a lacrosse book,” and I answered, “Well, it’s written by a lacrosse person, and we need more of those.” 

I excused myself and sat the books down and looked at some of the many photos that were displayed around the room. In a black and white picture, a teenaged Richie Moran rode on the back of a New Hyde Park DPW truck. I laughed – my cousins lived in New Hyde Park when I was growing up, and Coach Moran had already left his mark on the lacrosse programs at Sewanhaka, Manhasset, and Elmont. 

As I helped myself to some cheese and crackers and iced tea, I saw another face I recognized. I didn’t remember his name, but he definitely worked at the camps when I did. I introduced myself, and former equipment manager Doug Vorheis said he remembered my face, too. 

We talked for a few minutes, and immediately the stories started to surface. I told him how I remembered Richie sending unsuspecting campers in search of some “finiocatine powder”and how the wild goose chase would often include a stop at Doug’s store room. He laughed, but then told me that, early in his years working with Coach Moran, he had in fact sent Doug in search of the same non-existent stuff! Doug said he had driven all over town, stopping at every pharmacy in Ithaca, trying to please Coach Moran! 

I also saw a former staff member named Brian Conroy, and I asked if he was a coach in the area at the time. He laughed and said no – he had played for Coach Moran (CU ’78), but worked in New York City, and took a week off every summer just to return to the Cornell campus and spend the week in Richie’s presence. 

On my way out, I saw that the line had grown substantially. Near the end of it was Jim Case, athletic trainer for the Big Red and all those camps I had worked at (I’ve reconnected with Jim quite a bit in recent years, as he works at the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament, and his son Carson attends Oswego State). We caught up briefly, and I made my way out the door. 

As I got into my Sentra, I realized that, except for the former camper in front of me in line and a few grandchildren running around the Moakley House, I was one of the youngest people in attendance. I’m guessing that many of the people waiting in line were Cornell faculty, older alumni, and Ithaca friends who came to help celebrate Coach Moran’s birthday as much as have him sign a copy of his book. 

On my way home, I had dozens of Cornell Lacrosse Camp memories… Yes, it all came back to me on that 90-minute drive home Saturday afternoon. They were memories of a simpler time, yes – but they were also memories created by a very, very special man. 

Happy Birthday, Coach Moran. And thanks for everything you’ve done for the game, for its players, for its coaches, and for me. I can’t wait to read your book! 

Drive carefully!” 

In the week since Coach Moran’s passing, photos and memories have flooded Facebook, and I’ve remembered so many more stories. It’s very clear that Richie Moran touched so many lives. 

My son Eric wrote this to me: “I’ll never forget that Coach Moran was my coach at the All-American Camp at Colgate (2008? 2009?). He taught me that the ultimate recovery drink was half skim, half chocolate milk - with ice. I drank that years later at the Northstar Camp, and he wasn’t wrong. We won the camp championship that summer at Colgate, and he gave me the Team MVP Award; I’m wondering now if it was only because he knew you, because that’s the only award like that I’ve ever gotten.” (what I remember from that week at the A-A Camp was telling Eric how lucky he was to get to play for Coach Moran, even if it was just for four days at camp). 

I’ve spoken with referees who knew him, former campers, and former Cornell players. Everyone loved Coach Moran. It’ll be hard to imagine being in Limerick, Ireland for the U-21 World Games this summer - and not having Richie around as both celebrity and lacrosse ambassador. 

No worries. I’m pretty certain that Coach Moran will be there. 

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

In the meantime, please drive carefully, everyone. Donate blood. Get vaccinated, and get your boosters. Mask up if asked. Volunteer. 

But most importantly, stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. 

- Dan Witmer 

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu