Carl Runk - Carl Runks Coaching Lacrosse: Strategies, Drills, & Plays from an NCAA Tournament Winning Coachs Playbook

CARL RUNK'S

Strategies, Drills & Plays from an NCAA Tournament Winning Coach's Playbook

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To my loving wife, Joan, for her love and belief in me.

Her endless support and encouragement
have been a comfort to me from the beginning.

My family, Keith, Carl, Curt, and Brenda, for their love.

My grandchildren, Maria, Shannon, Allison, Gabriella, Keith, Julianna, Carl, Alexis, and Nicole, for being my second life. Special thanks to Allie for assisting me in this project.

Leo, Willy, Bob, Jim, Tom, Walt, Van, Carol, Lou, Glenn, Bill, Larry, Jerry, and Charlie for their support and coaching advice given unselfishly from the stands through the years.

Tim Mahoney, Joe Ardolino, Jeff Clarke, and Mark Ruess for their never-ending devotion to our program. Their dedication, devotion, loyalty, and trust have been overwhelming.

To my players at the University of Arizona, who believed in a young, aggressive coach.

To all the young men who played at Towson University and were instrumental in the development and respect we have now acquired.

To Jim Saxon, Joe Ferrante, Danny Nolan, Frank Atwood, Mike Grabner, and Jeff Raughyoung men I will always remember.

To Dr. Mike Higgens for always being there when my lack of computer knowledge was so evident.

Lacrosse is unique from other sports in the characteristic immediate friendliness and acceptance of all who participate. A lacrosse person can travel to any area of this beautiful country, meet a total stranger, and feel a warmth of acceptance as soon as it is apparent that both individuals have had some sort of involvement with this great game. With this in mind, I have started each chapter with an anecdote from personal experience.

As a sport, lacrosse has grown immensely. The number of participating players is extraordinarily high, and the technique used by these youngsters is better than ever before. Coaches are more learned and able to instruct at a higher level. This, I believe, can be attributed to the advancement of individual and team techniques, along with the game strategies made available to the coaches through local and national clinics. This has not always been the case, though.

I attended my first lacrosse clinic in Long Island, New York, in 1967. It was my first year as the head coach of Towson University, then known as Towson College. The opportunity to get out and meet new coaches in the game appealed very much to me. The clinic, held in a small dining room at a local restaurant, was not too impressive. There were about six rows of chairs and approximately eight chairs per row. Each coach was dressed in either a sport coat or suit, with a tie. Everyone sat at attention in a military manner and displayed a quiet demeanor. After a while, I felt as if I were at a funeral and occasionally would "give my condolences and sympathy" to a participating member. It was, without a doubt, the most boring ordeal I have ever been through. The clinicians were gifted with the ability to put any or all of the coaches present into a deep trance in no time flatand they did!

An old-timer coach asked me to take an oath, before he went to the big lacrosse field in the sky, that if I ever had the opportunity to speak at a clinic, I would do everything possible not to let anyone experience what he had been forced to endure that day. If it sounds a little exaggeratedit isn't. That's how boring it was. Fortunately, I was seated in the last row and in the seat second from last. The last seat was occupied by a handsome, silver-haired gentleman by the name of Roy Simmons, Sr., the father of the very successful longtime Syracuse coach, Roy Simmons, Jr.

Coach Simmons was the head lacrosse coach at Syracuse and was also an assistant football coach. Being the newly appointed football coach at Towson, I had the opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge about the game of footballand I did. Apparently, Coach Simmons was just as bored as I was and agreed to let me pick his brain.

We sat in the back and exchanged ideas and notes regarding offensive and defensive techniques and schemes. He was very kind and considerate to a young and aspiring coach that day and probably didn't recognize the positive impression he had made. When I arrived back at Towson, my athletic director asked me if I had a good experience at the clinic. Without hesitation, I responded affirmatively: I