TOWSON, Md. – Lacrosse, fortunately for those who have played it, is a sport where the dream of always playing may never die.
 
Last weekend, several Towson University men's lacrosse alumni proved that dream is still very much alive at the Ocean City Lacrosse Classic on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
 
With alumni ranging from the class of 1989 to 2002, "Runk's Bunch" suited up in the Men's Albacore Super Masters Division.
 
Runk's Bunch is named for Towson head coach Carl Runk, who guided the Tigers from 1968 until 1999. The team sported sublimated jerseys with an image of the legendary coach from his early coaching days at Towson.
 
And the group of former Tigers had a blast en route to the 2017 Ocean City Lacrosse Classic championship for their division.
 
"During the play-in games, I think we took it kind of easy from a competitive standpoint," said Greg Franzen, who wore the Black & Gold in the late 90s. "Once we were in the finals, it was like we were back at Minnegan Stadium (now Johnny Unitas ® Stadium), which is appropriate since it was a grass field for most of us. Game faces on, do your job on the field, know you gave it your all."
 
The idea to honor Runk, who is in countless Halls of Fame, including the Greater Baltimore Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Towson University Athletics Hall of Fame, was the brainchild of Bob Doherty, who played for Runk in the early 90s. Doherty, along with Spencer Ford, designed the uniforms honoring the coach, who racked up 262 career wins, including the 1974 NCAA Division II National Championship.
 
It was an honor to have Coach Runk on the sideline.  Last year, they surprised us.  No one thought Coach Runk could come.  Then he walked around the corner and it was awesome," noted Scott Hoskins, a midfielder from the mid-90s. "We all had the chance to introduce our families and get pictures.  It really is a special thing to do.  We were lucky enough to have (former assistant) Coach Mark Reuss join us, too."
 
Runk's Bunch went 3-1 during pool play, earning a spot in the Super Masters Division Playoffs. The lone blemish on Runk's Bunch's record came in a 6-3 loss to Kooper's Tavern in the final game of pool play.
 
In the playoffs, Runk's Bunch bounced back with a dominating 5-0 shutout over Providence Financial, a team the Bunch beat 7-3 earlier in the weekend. The semifinal victory set up a rematch with Kooper's Tavern, which bested Smartlink 5-3 in the semifinals.
 
The large contingent of former Tigers got revenge on Kooper's Tavern, edging their rivals 6-5 in the Super Masters Division Championship Game.
 
Victory may be sweet, but it was a little semisweet for Runk's Bunch. The Kooper's Tavern side had a few former Towson players on its roster who played for Runk back in the day. But there was a trophy and bragging rights on the line for the winning team.
 
"We were motivated to win," said Franzen. "We knew the Towson alumni on the other team were there to do the same."
 
"Those guys just picked the wrong team," joked Hoskins. "We actually knew most of the Kooper's players.  So, we just were motivated to knock off the team that wins it every year."
 
The sweetest part of the weekend, however, was the team photo after the championship game. The legendary head coach was on hand and joined the squad named for him in the championship photo, sporting his ever-present bolo tie.
 
While the Ocean City Lacrosse Classic is the only tournament Runk's Bunch plays in every year, Franzen summed the experience up in five words: Fun, Family, Memories, Laughter, Champs.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –