USD Football 1994

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MICHAELE.HAAITAN

T he late, legendary Woody Hayes was a noted war and military historian who saw many parallels be- tween football and combat activities. Many of today's college football coaches-whose per- sonal philosophies aren't as public as Hayes' were- mirror the former Ohio State coach's attitudes, even down to the finest details surrounding transporting their troops to dis- tant places for away games. Every Friday during the fall, thousands of football teams criss-cross the United States on their way to the site of Satur- day's game. Most travel parties range anywhere from 80 to 120 people, and when set against the emotional backdrop of a preoccupied coaching staff, woe to the person who does any- thing to disrupt the well- planned itinerary. Most colleges and universi- ties begin to plan for their next season of road trips as early as February and March. That is when many of the larger schools send an administrator

stay in a hotel or any place that doesn't have the proper means of handling that many people with so many different needs," explained John Majors, Pitt's coach. "A hotel should be con- venient to the airport, conve- nient to the stadium where you're playing, and convenient as far as transportation between each of those places." At some schools, just get - ting to the site of the game the day before can be more of an inconvenience than it is for other teams. Texas A&M Uni- versity is located in College Station, Texas, a proverbial 11 90 rniles from here, and 120 miles from there" community. Head Football Coach R.C. Slocum will sit down with Athletic Director Wally Groff months before the season and explain when he !Slocum) would like to leave for a game. Then it's up to Groff to put the wheels in motion to make the arrange- ments. "We'rea little different &om some people in that we usually stay here during the day on Fri- day," explained Slocum. "That continued

making a trip to a site where we've never visited before. The head coach provides me with D • "There's no way you can stay in a hotel or any place

to each of the road sitcs to "scout around" for hotels and means of transportation for above-average-sized young men. Head coaches have input-and sometimes the final say-about travel accommodations, but the legwork is handled by someone else within the de- partment. At the University of Pitts- burgh, that man has been Alex Kramer, an administrative as- sistant who, while serving as Pitt football's student manager during the early 1950s, roomed with linebacker Joe Schmidt, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Kramer is in his 18th year at Pitt. "It's important to talk to hotels that have had experience at hosting a football team," said Kramer. "When you're talking about a football team, you're talking about a lot of people with big bodies, so there are quite a few practical questions to be asked," said Kramer. 11 1'11 sometimes check with some of our counterparts to see what they have done in the past, par- ticularly in a case where we're

that doesn't have the proper means of handling that many people with so many different needs."

JOHN MAJORS, HEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

B • some broad outlines as far as what he's looking for, and I always strive to fulfill each individual coach's needs." Many such needs are obvious. "There's no way you can