🤷🏽‍♂️ I know it’s been much later than expected but… I didn’t invent the phrase “better late than never!”😈

Bucket-Trip 2025 .. Final Stop
14.September 2025

https://ritzbball.net/bucket-trip

Days 11-15 (02.Jun-06Jun) “Roadrunner Originals”

Fulda, Germany … That’s where it all began.

As I look back over my life, I see so many faces and places that deserve their own spot in my version of a personal diary, and there just isn’t enough time or space to do them all justice.

Many of them are connected to the city of Fulda in Germany.
If I said that the city was not on my list of places to see, when I was growing up, would be the understatement of the year.
To look back now and see that I lived in that city longer than any other place on earth is unfathomable.
I first became acquainted with the city because when I was stationed there as part of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. “The Blackhorse” was headquartered at Downs Barracks in Fulda.

When I separated from the military, I remained and began playing basketball and coaching there. I started a program that was designed to foster better German-American Relations.
That Program grew into a full-time activity and the “Fulda Roadrunners” were born.

The Roadrunners was the adopted nickname for the Basketball Abteilung (Branch) of the Fuldaer Turnerschaft 1848 Sports Club. What began as a German-American Friendship Activity developed into one of the best youth programs in the State of Hessen. It was also laid the groundwork for what became known as “RitzBBall” .. now “Dinosaur-Basketball”😈

Counting the military I spent 12 Years in Fulda … the first time! I eventually went on a basketball tour that took me to Oberhausen, Weilheim, Siegen, Barcelona, Davidson College, the George School (Newtown, Pa), UNCA, Madonna Di Campiglio Italy, Wuerzburg, Quakenbrueck, Mainz, Duesseldorf and Leipzig… only to end up back in Fulda. There I stayed for 8 more years before returning to the United States.

To summarize, I spent twenty years of my life in the city of Fulda. It is impossible to relate in a few paragraphs what transpired during those years. I guess I made some impressions while I was there, but those years, those players and their families also made lasting impressions on me.
Many of my coaching tactics and philosophies were developed while working with those players and their families.
Many of the connections went way beyond basketball. Those connections deepened as the years passed and many still exist today.
That was never more obvious than when I drove from Quakenbrueck to Fulda on the last leg of this trip.
When I arrived at the Sicilianer Restaurant (Leipziger Str.) .. aka Rimini Pizzeria, I was met by a gang of the “Original Roadrunners”. Players that I had coached in the 80’s.
Gehring, Brede, Ment, Wiesner, von Rhein, Mayer, Wehner, Muth, Knapp, Scherf and Ruhl just to name a few… were there to reminisce about “back in the day”.🤦🏽‍♂️

There was a visit to the Solomons, the Weigels and Jess. There was lunch with Dr. Dippel (former Mayor of Fulda) and a side trip to Wuerzburg to visit former players there, and a visit from a player that I recruited from Kassel to play for me in the USA.

There is simply too much to pack into this post. That’s why I am creating a separate section of the Website, dedicated to Fulda, its players and families.

I believe that the Roadrunner Program was fairly successful but I even more proud of the relationships built that have lasted for decades. I am proud of the players who went on and played at higher levels but… even more proud of what those players have accomplished “off the court”. They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, business owners, college professors, teachers and more… that includes now being great parents themselves.
It was hard not to feel validated when I saw the mementos, the pictures and stories that were held onto.
“Thanks for allowing yourselves to be coached”

If I made some small contribution to their development, then I did my job.

There are simply too many people who were involved in that time to list them all here. I hope that the videos will express my feelings with regard to the Fulda part of my journey.
In the Fulda section there will be many more videos and stories that will demonstrate why that period and the players will always have a special place.

If you see yourself or someone you know, feel free to comment, and by all means, pass it on.

Next stop…. Houston

#cancer #hofstra #usarmy #booktok #lifetimefitness #cancerjourney #radiationtherapy #basketball

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to add them on the website.
(Https://RitzBBall.Net)

Anyone who wants to dive deeper can find the entire backstory in “It’s the Coach’s Fault”
(Link… https://ritzbball.net/bookshop )