BUTLER TWP — Family, football and the open road.

As far as the Friels are concerned, it doesn't get any better.

Back in 2003, the Friel brothers — Matt, Jake, Joe and Dave — decided to make the journey to the University of North Carolina to see the Tar Heels square off with Arizona State.

The trip was so much fun that, 10 years later, it has evolved into a tradition.

“I knew Joey was a North Carolina fan,” said Matt of what prompted the initial trip. “My wife was like, 'Oh, you guys should go.' Little did she know, so many years later, we'd still be going on these football trips.”

The experience wasn't limited to UNC's campus at Chapel Hill, either. The Friels spent some time at Duke University as well, and completed the tour of “Tobacco Road” with a drive-by of Wake Forest University.

“The whole thing was so successful the first time,” said Jake, “and from there we decided, 'Well, let's do it again next year.'”

And so far, every year after that.

The annual adventure has given the opportunity to let boys be boys.

“Rule No. 1 is what goes on during the boys' football trip, stays with the football trip,” chuckled Matt. “We're breaking that rule.”

“We had a lot of fun things happen on the way down (to North Carolina) — none of which can be printed,” Jake said, laughing.

Starting with just a handful, the group has grown with time. The Friels took two van loads to U.S. Military Academy to attend the Army-Air Force game last year.

No matter how many go or where the journey takes them, everyone comes home with a smile and plenty of memories.

“Each trip just started accumulating so many great stories and so many funny things that would happen,” said Jake. “They're all a direct result of: A) Us not being very well organized and B) It all being a group of guys that love sports.”

“We've all grown up as sports fans,” he added. “Kind of the tie that binds all of us is a great sporting event, whether it's just staying home and watching the Steelers game or going on the road for one of these football trips.”

The Friels' second journey was to Syracuse University — the favorite team of Joe's son Josh — to see the Orangemen take on Florida State.

To Josh's dismay, FSU escaped with a 17-16 win, but the value of the trips reach beyond the football field. The men decided to take the children to Canada for the first time and saw Niagara Falls while they were there. It's one of many sightseeing stops over the years.

“There's really no agendas when we start these trips, and we pack in a ton of stuff. When we go, we go to see everything and anything that's humanly possible,” Jake explained. “There's very little time for sleeping.”

One mandatory visit when going to a college game, regardless of destination, is the campus bookstore to buy a souvenir miniature football helmet.

The gridiron action has been great. Most of the games have come down to the fourth quarter, if not the final play.

“There's really only been one bad game,” said Joey Friel, Jake's son, who was in fifth grade during the initial trip. Josh and Jake's other son, Tyler, were in fourth grade when the road-trip tradition was born.

Their appreciation for the unique experience has grown as they've matured.

“You remember it more,” Joey explained. “I barely remember the campus of UNC.”

The one “bad” game Joey referred to was in 2006, when Clemson blew out Georgia Tech.

However, the surroundings more than made up for the lack of competition. The Clemson trip marked the longest journey thus far and one of two games that also happened to be the site of ESPN's “College Game Day.”

“Clemson was the best,” said Matt.

“Overall, it was an unbelievable atmosphere,” Jake added.

Each college has revealed a different, but enjoyable setting.

The University of Virginia (2008) presented a conservative and seemingly wealthy crowd, while Army was strict in security, but boasted easygoing and extremely polite fans.

“I got booed for wearing a Heath Miller jersey,” said Josh of Virginia, which the Steelers tight end attended.

The University of Tennessee had perhaps the most intense crowd.

“It was just amazing,” said Matt. “That stadium fits 110,000 and they're all singing 'Rocky Top.' It's impressive.”

“And it's all orange,” Jake added. “Everything is orange.”

The family witnessed the final road game for longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno at Northwestern in 2011.

Back in 2007, they went to Rutgers University, which in 1869 was the site of the first college football game between the Scarlet Knights and Princeton University.

They saw how much the game has evolved in 2010 when Oklahoma edged the University of Cincinnati, 31-29.

“They both went no-huddle,” Jake recalled. “There wasn't one offensive huddle the entire game.”

The games haven't been limited to the college ranks. The Friels have squeezed in two Steelers road games — the first at Atlanta while visiting Clemson and again the following year against the New York Jets while at Rutgers in 2008.

The family was just another example of how well Steeler fans travel, especially in Atlanta.

“The stadium was 50-50,” said Matt.

One fan of the Falcons approached Jake after noticing the presence of black and gold.“'Sir can I ask you a question?'” Jake imitated with his best southern drawl. “'Is there anybody left in the city of Pittsburgh? I wasn't around, but I guarantee you there hasn't been this many Yankees in downtown Atlanta since Sherman came and burned the place to the ground.'”A few of those “Yankees” lucked into top-notch seats.“It was me, Joey and Josh,” explained Tyler. “It was maybe 20 minutes before the game and we decided we'll sit at the 50-yard line, front row for a little bit until we get kicked out.“We kept waiting … 10 minutes go by … 20 minutes go by ... the entire game we sat at the front row, 50-yard line.”It was one of the countless stories that have made these trips priceless.They've scrambled to a Virginia computer lab and paid a student $10 to print out tickets they left at home.They've accidentally misled a border-patrol officer in Canada.They've lost keys behind a bolted-down hotel dresser, requiring maintenance to tear up the wall.They've witnessed a family being scolded for spreading their grandmother's ashes on the University of Michigan field, known as “The Big House.”There have been characters like a confused, flamboyantly-dressed man dubbed Huggy Bear in an Atlanta parking garage, along with failed attempts to contain their own character, Woodie — a family friend who is described as a combination of the “Seinfeld” character Cosmo Kramer and Keith Richards.During the Rutgers trip, the Friels needed to give a pair of brothers from Butler a ride back to Pennsylvania after the duo's car was totaled in a hit-and-run accident.Sometime later that night, thieves broke into just about every car in the hotel parking lot — except for the Friels' van.There have been a couple of messy, junk-food- induced stomach incidents. One time a youngster of theirs was unaware there was no plumbing in what he thought was a bathroom at a Tennessee bookstore — and they couldn't find a way to break it to the clerk.Through all the shenanigans no one has been left behind ... sort of.During a pit stop at a Sheetz, all of the kids were accounted for. Uncle Joe wasn't so fortunate.About 20 miles later, his son Josh received a phone call from a strange number.“It was some (random) area code,” said Josh.“My phone was in the car,” Joe explained.Josh still has the voice mail: “Hey, it's your dear-old dad. I think you left me back at Sheetz.”“We always wanted to go back and get the security cameras, see him walk out, have the realization and then start begging for phones,” said Jake with a chuckle. “Downtown Scranton at 11 o'clock at night, you're not just giving your phone to anybody. Finally, some good Samaritan let him use one.”For the Friels, football games last a matter of hours, but the memories are ingrained forever.“It's not the destination,” said Jake. “It's the journey.”They have tentative plans to see Pitt play at Navy this year.“We really hope to continue going as long as we can,” Matt said. “That's the most important thing.”“One good thing,” Joe added, “we have more young kids coming up through the ranks to drive.”

Following is a summary of college football games attended by the Friel family of Butler Township:Year Host Opponent Score2003 North Carolina Arizona State. 31-332004 Syracuse Florida State 16-172005 Michigan State Penn State 22-312006 Clemson Georgia Tech 31-72006 Atlanta Steelers 41-382007 Rutgers Pitt 20-162007 N.Y. Jets Steelers 19-162008 Virginia Miami 17-242009 Tennessee UCLA 15-192010 Cincinnati Oklahoma 29-312011 Northwestern Penn State 24-342012 Army Air Force 41-21Additional schools visited during trips: Duke, Wake Forest, Michigan, Xavier, Ohio State and Notre DameAdditional tourist attractions: New River Gorge, Niagara Falls in Canada, Atlanta Aquarium, New York City, Washington D.C., Gettysburg, Great Smoky Mountains, Chicago, U.S. Military Academy Military MuseumTotal miles driven: 8,162