VICKSBURG, Mich. — Long before Travis Van ever fired up Vicksburg football locker rooms with his signature dance moves, broke down postgame huddles, or became affectionately known simply as “Coach Trav,” the Bulldogs found a way to give him something he would never forget.
One play.
It was October 16, 2009, and Van, a Vicksburg senior with Down syndrome who had already been leading the Bulldogs out onto the field each week, suited up for the very first time and stepped under the glowing Friday night lights. For his father, Roger, watching his son play the sport he loved is a cherished memory that remains as vivid today as it was nearly 17 years ago.
“It doesn’t get any better than that, being out on a field at a high school on a Friday night,” Roger Van recalled, reflecting on the milestone that set the stage for decades of involvement.
That single snap eventually blossomed into 16 more years of dedicated service on the Vicksburg sideline. Since graduating in 2010, “Coach Trav” has become one of the most recognizable and beloved faces not just around the Vicksburg football program, but across the entire Bulldog community. His infectious energy illuminates every practice, his spontaneous dance moves bring boundless laughter to the locker room, and his postgame breakdowns have become an integral part of the shared memories of generations of high school players.
Now, after 16 enduring seasons on the Bulldogs’ sideline, the 35-year-old Coach Trav is set to retire from his official role as an assistant football coach. Yet, having spent nearly two decades as an unwavering source of encouragement and an unforgettable presence across Vicksburg athletics, he is certainly not saying goodbye to the community he holds so dear.
Long before Vicksburg football became Van’s greatest passion, however, Vicksburg simply became his home. Roger and his wife, Julie, made the conscious decision to move their family of five into the Vicksburg school district when Travis, the oldest of three siblings, was still young, actively searching for a supportive environment and a better fit for their son. What they discovered, according to Roger, was a welcoming community that embraced him right from the very beginning.
“This school district embraced him from day one,” Roger said, noting the inclusive culture fostered throughout the educational system. “Whether it be the principals, the teachers, and right up through [athletic director] Mr. [Mike] Roy and the football program, basketball program, and the kids, they just accepted him for what he was. And he just flourished here.”
From those early days, football proved to be an almost too-perfect fit. Van naturally gravitated toward sports, particularly football, and quickly formed a deep bond with longtime Vicksburg head coach Tom Marchese. Marchese first came to know Van as a student when the coach arrived at the school roughly two decades ago. For Marchese, developing that relationship felt entirely natural, rooted in his own formative experiences growing up in Pennsylvania, where his high school basketball program had a team manager with Down syndrome named Andy Warner—someone Marchese vividly remembers constantly being around the team and leading the players onto the court.
Years later, Marchese made certain that Van understood there would always be a permanent place for him around Vicksburg football.
“I’ve always told him, ‘As long as I’m here, Travis, you’re always welcome.’ And he hasn’t left since,” said Marchese, who is currently in his 18th season as Vicksburg’s head coach. “That is what life is about; you take that stuff to your grave.”
Whether it was grueling football practices, exhilarating Friday night matchups, basketball games, or even brief stints assisting as a junior varsity girls basketball assistant coach, wherever the Bulldogs were competing, there was a very strong likelihood that “T-Van” was not far away.
“It’s something that makes him happy,” Roger explained. “When he’s out here, and he’s with these boys and he’s with these coaches, he’s happy. They’re his favorite people. It’s always been his happy place.”
Eventually, simply being a fixture around Vicksburg sports evolved into something much deeper. When Roger temporarily stepped away from coaching for a period, one of his son’s former players returned to ask him to rejoin the Vicksburg staff. Roger had only one condition for his return.
“It’s a package deal,” he remembered telling them. “If [Travis] can’t come, then I don’t come.”
No negotiation was necessary. “We want Travis,” Roger remembered Marchese replying without hesitation.
What followed was a remarkable run that cemented Van as an absolute fixture around the program, bringing vibrant energy to practices and barking out enthusiastic encouragement from the sideline on game nights. Marchese is always quick to emphasize that the relationship has never been a one-sided endeavor meant only to benefit Van.
“Hopefully it brings some joy to his life,” Marchese said. “It actually brings a lot of joy to our life, as well.”
The players wholeheartedly concur. Last season, as Vicksburg embarked on an unforgettable postseason tear that carried the program to its first-ever state semifinal appearance, Van made certain to set the emotional tone before the Bulldogs squared off in their regional final against Portland.
“He was in the locker room just hyping everybody up, dancing to the music and making sure we’re all ready to go,” Vicksburg senior Bo Vallier said.
Beyond the pregame hype, Marchese has consistently witnessed Van stepping up for players during difficult moments, quietly handling the little things like sitting next to an injured player and placing a comforting arm around them. If somebody is hurting physically or emotionally, Van is there. Marchese admitted that it takes very little for Van to brighten his day—even if it is just Van suddenly yelling “Marchese!” from across the vast field.
“He’s on the sideline yelling my name and just pointing at me the whole time. Out of nowhere, there’s no rhyme or reason for it,” Marchese said with a smile. “I’ll hear him in the back of my head during practice. I’m gonna miss that. I’m gonna miss that a lot.”
The feeling of mutual admiration runs deep. Roger noted that his son and Marchese have evolved into best friends over the years, their personal bond extending far beyond the chalk lines of the football field. When asked what he will cherish most about his 16 years coaching alongside the Bulldogs, Van did not hesitate in his response.
“My dad and the football team,” he said.
And when asked what he thinks of his head coach, Van offered a simple, heartfelt assessment. “He’s a nice guy,” Van said of Marchese. “I love him the most, I do.”
The current roster of players will undoubtedly miss Van’s presence just as much. Vallier fondly speaks of Van’s infectious energy, his constant encouragement, and the occasional lighthearted reminder whenever Van believes someone isn’t pulling their weight.
“He makes practice more fun, just brings a lot of light in our team,” Vicksburg senior Graham Kubiak added.
During a recent Wednesday practice, Van could be seen effortlessly bouncing from player to player, casually tapping Bulldogs on the shoulder as he passed by. He exchanged high-fives with the coaching staff after practice concluded and stopped to chat with quarterback Easton Moughton, who was wearing a
T-shirt featuring Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward.
Naturally, Van has a unique professional football connection of his own. In 2017, Van was gifted a Corey Davis jersey for Christmas, and his ecstatic reaction reached the former Western Michigan star wide receiver via social media. Roger recounted how the family was subsequently invited to Tennessee, where Van had the opportunity to visit the Titans’ practice facility, meet the players, and even take center stage to break down the team.
Yet, for Van, his favorite football sideline has always remained much closer to home. Van’s traditional role at the very front of Vicksburg’s thunderous charge out onto the field every Friday night has become a cherished program staple. For years, he has proudly led the Bulldogs out before kickoff, and once the final whistle blows, he is right there again, helping orchestrate the victory chant.
Asked what he enjoys most about those celebratory postgame moments, Van’s answer is characteristically straightforward. “It’s fun,” he said.
Marchese noted that it is a sentiment he will never forget, particularly highlighting a poignant moment from the rivalry game against Plainwell on September 11, where a captured photograph of Van leading the team out remains etched in his memory. “That picture, that moment, I remember all the time,” he said.
When asked how it feels to lead the Bulldogs onto the field, Van requires very few words to capture his emotions. “Happy,” Van said.
Roger has witnessed that genuine happiness up close for years, observing that his son possesses a rare gift for stripping life down to what truly matters. “The nice thing about Travis is, all the other stuff that you and I might worry about, he doesn’t worry about it,” Roger said. “His whole life is about making people happy, doing the things he wants to do.”
With Van having poured so much of himself into Vicksburg athletics for nearly two decades, the Bulldogs organization finally paused earlier this fall to return the favor. At halftime during the Bulldogs’ intense rivalry matchup against Three Rivers on September 25, Van was formally honored in front of a packed home crowd and a community that had embraced him all those years ago.
His family proudly wore custom pins declaring, “Coach Trav, Bulldog Legend.” Throughout the bleachers, community members and students donned commemorative T-shirts bearing his name. Van stood proudly at midfield alongside his family as the roaring home crowd rose to applaud a man whose profound influence has stretched across generations of Bulldog student-athletes.
Then came a powerful message delivered over the stadium’s public-address system that perfectly encapsulated his unique place within the program: “He isn’t just someone who has been around our teams, he is one of our own. Thank you, T-Van.”
The crowd responded with a thunderous ovation, leaving no doubt about the depth of their appreciation. Afterward, Marchese and Athletic Director Mike Roy presented Van with a framed No. 7 Vicksburg jersey—the exact number Van wore on October 16, 2009, when he first stepped onto the gridiron for that unforgettable single play. Nearly 17 years later, Vicksburg had squared up.
“The fact that they did something that big for him,” Roger said, shaking his head. “It just [shows] what I’ve been saying about this school and how they are to him. They didn’t have to do anything like that. But they did.”
Marchese added, “There wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium, I don’t think.”
Today, the Van family is woven deeply into the fabric of the broader Vicksburg community. Roger’s other children, Hunter and Jessica, are both proud Vicksburg graduates. Hunter suited up as a player for the Bulldogs’ varsity football team, while Jessica ultimately returned to the district as a teacher at Vicksburg High School.
And while Van’s day-to-day commitment to athletics may shift moving forward, this retirement is by no means a permanent farewell. While the physical grind of attending every single practice has naturally become more demanding, showing up to support the team on game nights remains a top priority. Roger noted that the family will still be fixtures on Friday nights, and there may even be future opportunities for Travis to lead the Bulldogs out onto the turf once again.
Marchese put it much more simply, echoing the sentiments of everyone associated with the program. “He’ll never go away,” Marchese said.
Van created another shining memory earlier this season against Three Rivers, hoisting the coveted Swine Bone Trophy high into the night sky to celebrate a hard-fought 26-21 victory alongside the team. For the current generation of players, imagining Vicksburg football without him is simply impossible.
“I feel like there won’t be another Coach Trav in Vicksburg football,” Kubiak said.
Stepping away from his official coaching duties will not alter the indelible impact Van has left on Vicksburg. The Bulldogs initially offered Van and his family a place where they truly belonged, and in return, he has spent the last 16 years giving everything he had back to them.
Standing on Vicksburg’s football field during a recent Wednesday afternoon practice, Roger glanced warmly toward his son.
“You feel like you’re at home here, huh?” Roger asked.
“Yeah!” Travis answered instantly.
