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Grinnell College Pioneer Football

Documentary: Lawrence, WI --FB Road trip!

Words cannot accurately describe my Collegiate football experience. To say the least, it was extremely enjoyable and most definitely memorable. Probably the most memorable aspect of my football career would be our away games. About four or five times during the year, we were sent across the Midwest to face opponents from Illinois to Wisconsin. Besides the camaraderie, we basically were treated well for about two days (all expenses paid). By providing this pictorial, my desire is to give you a bit of insight into a Grinnell College Road game. This particular pictorial is from the Lawrence (Wisconsin) vs. Grinnell football game on 11-11-00.

Most of the pictures used in this pictorial are from the Lawrence v. Grinnell road trip. However, some pictures may have been added, in order to accurately depict the roadtrip and to complete the storyline.

Day before Game (Friday 11-10-00)

Typically, our departure time was around 10am to noon. Despite what many people thought, YES, our coaches required us to attend our morning classes. Upon arrival to the Physical Education Complex (P.E.C.), we headed to the locker-room. In some cases, people packed their gear into their travel bags the night before, but for those few that didn't, they price they had to pay was high.

For those who had packed the day before, it was only a matter of loading the charter bus and waiting for everyone else to arrive. This time was normally spent just chilling and socializing. It was only matter of minutes before everyone else would arrive and we would begin our road trip to Wisconsin.

Besides loading our equipment, we normally took some goodies (besides the other necessary equipment) for our motivational session. Normally freshmen were required to load/unload the bus, but here is a picture of Roger, the team equipment manager, working hard for the money.

With the bus loaded, it was time for everyone to get settled in. As an upperclassman (and Senior), I had the honor of sitting in the back of the bus. Why the back of the bus was so appealing is really beyond me. I suppose it's strategic position away from the coaches was good. However, one major disadvantage was the nearby restroom.

Ah.....finally on the road. Most road-games were a great opportunity to catch up on movies we have not seen. Depending on the location, we could spend anywhere between 3-9 hours on the road. This particular Wisconsin trip was going to be a long one. This simply meant that we had more time to do what we need to do. Whether it be catch up on some zzzz, finish up a class assignment, or simply revisit some of the classic films of all-time. Most of us would have agreed that the bus ride was a perfect opportunity to relax and goof off.

In some cases, the coaches provided about an hour of quiet time in between films. Players had the chance to catch up on sleep or keep pace with the rigorous academics at Grinnell. For Sean Murphy, quiet time served as the perfect opportunity to sustain his All-Academic status.

Half way into our journey, we would stop at a convenience store or fast food restaurant before our walk-throughs. This was the scariest part of our road game, simply because we had to mingle with the rural-folk.

Walk-throughs serve a dual purpose: They provide us with another chance to stretch our legs as well as a chance to quickly review our game plan for tomorrow in an open field. We normally stopped at any school (secondary or college) that granted us permission to use their field. In most cases, we had the field to ourselves and had but a few spectators. However, this was not the case during one particular walkthrough session last year. Our stop was a Junior high in Illinois. While practicing on their field, the Jr. High football team slowly dribbled out of their locker room. They were quite startled to see us on their field. Many of the kids actually believed that we were going to scrimmage them. This particular walk-through was a little different from our other trips since we stopped at a little known place, I believe it was the home of the fighting badgers.

After being on the road from 3-9 hours (depending on the distance) we finally arrived at our motel. Granted it wasn't a five-star hotel, the rooms were nice and cozy. It was time to unload and get dressed for dinner.

Pre-game dinner has always been the team's favorite activity. In order to carbo-load or whatever a player felt was adequate for the game tomorrow, we continued our long standing tradition of eating at Old Country Buffet, better known as "OCB". To provided a more accurate description, OCB is very similar to Golden Coral or any other inexpensive buffet place. The coaches preferred "OCB" because they had a large supply of food that was constantly replenished and we were seated quickly. The "OCB" guarantee: Stuff your face and walk (or wobble) away feeling sick and full.

After dinner, we had a little free time before our Motivational session. Coach Vince Harasky was normally in charge of this operation. Besides some treats (milk and cookies), we were given a motivational speech and a quick scouting review. In some cases, we even watched film scenes to inspire and motivate the team. My favorite being the final fight scene from Braveheart. This particular session was held in the motel conference room.

After our Motivation session (about 30 mins), we had the rest of the night off. Of course it was nearly 10pm, we could always find things to do. Whether it be watching TV, swimming in the pool, or playing some card games.

Personally, I like to just hang out in my room and watch TV. Sometimes we'd get visitors, but it was pretty much a relaxing time.

An introduction of my away-game roommates. The two guys weren't too bad. John Beach (Freshman OG from Florida) was a pretty cool kid. His only drawback is that he likes to chew, a rather nasty habit. My other roomie was Nathan Ray (Sophomore OT from Oklahoma). Known as "Crazy Ray", the kid frightens me sometimes. Overall is a good guy.

Game Day (11-11-00)

Once again, we were treated for an OCB breakfast. Which is better, OCB breakfast or Dinner? No Competition, neither! After breakfast, we packed up our stuff and got ready to head over to the field. Some fields and visitor locker rooms were nice, others were horrible. The locker room provided by Lawrence University was not horrendous, but it could have been better. Regardless of the locker room, it was time to put our game faces on. But, some people had a difficult time doing that with me taking all these dang pictures.

After getting suited, most of the team spent the remaining hour mentally preparing for the game. Some people practiced visualization, other took the time to rest. For the less fortunate, some players sent a great deal of time waiting to be tapped.

The Banta Bowl, arguably the nicest stadium in the conference. Certainly, this stadium is very nice, and the sunken design provides an invigorating feeling (sort of feels like you are in a Gladiator Arena).

Our performance on the field that day was inexcusable. Naturally, the final score was a reflection of our performance. FINAL SCORE: LAWRENCE 25 GRINNELL 14. Our team considered the loss to be a major setback. We finished the season at 5-5 overall, our worst record during my 4-year tenure. (My 1st year we were 5-5, but won the Southern Division championship and Lost in the Championship game). The loss also established a three-way tie for 3rd place. Using the W/L records vs. our other opponents, we earned a 4th place finish.

Post-Game (11-11-00)

After some final thoughts, Coach Wallace sent the seniors to the press booth, so that each one could be honored and given some time to speak over the radio. I had previous radio experience since I had hosted a radio show on KDIC, the college radio station. Of course, I went on the rampage thanking everyone and their mom on the radio. All the meanwhile, Coach Wallace continued to talk with the team on the field.

It was only a matter of time after the reality hit us like a ton of bricks. Besides finally ending our career, we ended on a horrible note. Despite how I or any other people felt about how our season should have turned out, what was done was done. All we (the seniors) had now were our memories

Without a doubt, the entire team was devastated by the loss. Especially since it came by way of a poor team. Including the day's victory, Lawrence University finished the season at 2-8 overall. For a few of us, we had a long ride home to think about what we could have done or where we went wrong. For some of us, we had the rest of our lives to think about those same things. So, we decided that we shouldn't let this loss put a damper on our overall performance.

For the seniors, the sound of the final gun marked the end of a career. For others, it merely marked the end of a season. Some claimed that a celebration was in order; other felt the need to drown their sorrows. In either case, there was definitely the need to enjoy a cold beverage on the ride home. The coaches really didn't mind too much since most of the team was of legal age anyways. (*this only occurs during the final away game of the season.*)

From here on out, i'm not at liberty to discuss some of the things that actually went on during the bus rides home. People could lose their jobs and kids expelled from school, and so on.... Maybe it's worse to leave you hangin' like this and allow your imagination to run wild. But whatever you concoct in your mind about the bus ride home, at least you can't say that you heard it from me. Just to give you around idea of what may or may not go on during the bus rides home, here are a few pictures.