After suffering the loss to East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970, a majority of the Marshall team boarded Southern Airlines Flight 932. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshalls Huntington campus. A fireman on Nov. 15, 1970, looks over the wreckage of a DC-9 jet that crashed the day before on approach near a mountaintop airport a few miles from Huntington, W.Va. (Associated Press). They even won a couple of games. "It was not a premonition. The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. Art Shannon, #34, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. She has all of them, including an image of offensive guard John "Jimo" Adams, whose daughter Patricia was born the day her father was buried. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. "That's something I've never been able to get over because it was so wrong.". New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, USA . Six weeks before the Marshall tragedy, a plane carrying members of the Wichita State football team crashed in Colorado, killing 31 people. | During the 1970 college football season, Marshall suffered a devastating loss to East Carolina in week 9 to drop the Thundering Herd to 3-6 on the year. It still stands as the most fatal sports-related accident in history. Roy Slezak refuses to call it an anniversary. Its an inspiring tribute to those fallen lives and the devoted men who led Marshall back to glory. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. [21], November 14, 2013, marked the first time that Marshall had played a road game on an anniversary of the disaster. Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. Among those in the fountain audience were four football players from East Carolina who played in that 1970 game. It all began with a three-year long losing streak from season 1966-69. The report additionally notes, "Most of the fuselage was melted or reduced to a powder-like substance; however, several large pieces were scattered throughout the burned area. var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; There are so many stories of folks who either got a spot on the plane at the last minute or were bumped off. It forever changed my life, Smith said. The Hokies were in town to play the Herd. In 2006, Hollywood turned that inspiring slogan into one of the greatest sports movies ever made. Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5. . "He definitely had pro potential, no question," formerPassaiccoach John Federici, told The Record in 2001. [19], On November 11, 2000, the We Are Marshall Memorial Bronze was dedicated. Marshall's Plane Crash Happened 52 Years Ago, But the Memory Still Remains. Not only that, she happened to be on a flight during 9/11. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. " Carter said. DAntoni is now Marshalls basketball coach. Those were diplomas they never had a chance to receive. This flight was the only flight that year for the Marshall University football team. I dont know what to call it.. The co-pilot, monitoring the altimeter, called out, "It's beginning to lighten up a little bit on the ground here at seven hundred feet We're two hundred above [the descent vector]," and the charter coordinator replied, "Bet it'll be a missed approach." ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) Marshall University commemorated the 50th anniversary of one of the worst sports disasters in U.S. history Saturday, a plane crash that killed most of the football team. As a 21-year-old newlywed senior cheerleader at Marshall, she read the news of the crash on the crawl at the bottom of a television screen. NFL player and Marshall alum Joseph "Lee" Smith, told buffalobills.com that at one point, there would "never be another football team" at Marshall following the devastation the town faced. "The Young Herd" that carried on in 1971 had a new coach, Jack Lengyel. Parker flew to the game, but did not fly back, having switched places with Deke Brackett, another coach. I didn't know what to do. A number of the victims are buried in a grave site in the Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington; 20th Street between Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Marshall's current on-campus football stadium, and Spring Hill Cemetery was renamed Marshall Memorial Boulevard in honor of the crash victims. [4], The NTSB investigated the accident and its final report was issued on April 14, 1972. [7], The airliner continued on final approach to Tri-State Airport when it collided with the tops of trees on a hillside 5,543ft (1,690m) west of runway 11 (now runway 12). [16] The committee decided upon one major memorial within the campus, a plaque and memorial garden at Fairfield Stadium, and a granite cenotaph at the Spring Hill Cemetery; the Memorial Student Center was designated a memorial as well.[17]. Shops and government offices closed; businesses on the town's main street draped their windows in black bunting," History.com reported. The Marshall football team tragedy remains one of the saddest sports stories of all time. Marshall Plane Crash Site Marker. Just before 8 pm, the plane crashed into a hill two miles from the Tri-State Airport in Kenova, W.V., where everyone on aboard were killed on impact. Of course, she misses her husband. New coach Jack Lengyel, Marshall University students, and Thundering Herd football fans convinced acting Marshall president, Donald N. Dedmon, to reconsider cancelling the program in late 1970. Featured speakers were Chancellor Steve Ballard, Athletic Director Terry Holland, Pirates' broadcaster Jeff Charles, and Marshall president, Stephen Kopp. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and crew of 5. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, at He makes sure the Herd have a home game. He was like a sounding board.". Griffith died in the 1970 plane crash. Most of his teammates were gone, forever. Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert Van Horn and Freddy Wilson had come from Druid High School. Bobby Joe Hill, #41,1970 MU Football team, b&w. The Flight Crew of Southern Airways Flight 932: Captain Frank H. Abbott, Jr. , aged 47, was employed by Southern Airways, Inc., on July 21, 1949. Private. Digitized University Archives Collections. Charlie had given his wife a manifest before he left. Lengyel, who came from a coaching job at the College of Wooster, was hired by the recently hired athletic director Joe McMullen, under whom he had previously worked at the University of Akron in the 1950s. December 10, 2006 Herald-Dispatch [Huntington]. A fireman on Nov. 15, 1970, looks over the wreckage of a DC-9 jet that crashed the day before on approach near a mountaintop airport a few miles from Huntington, W.Va. Bobby East, driver of the #21 Ford during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, died Wednesday, July 13, 2022, after being fatally stabbed at a gas station in Westminster, Calif. From that moment, we became one family.. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. On Saturday, it will be Middle Tennessee State. In 2011, Frank Beamer directed the Virginia Tech team buses to detour on their way to Marshall's Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Digitized University Archives Collections After the game, 37 members of the Marshall football team, its coaching staff, team doctors, University Athletic Director Charles E. Kautz, and some 25 team fans and boosters boarded Southern Airway Flight 932 and departed from Kinston, North Carolina at 6:38 p.m. en route to the Tri-State Airport outside Kenova, West Virginia. Middle guard Ed Carter was back in Wichita Falls, Texas, that terrible day to bury his father. | So why would anyone living with all that baggage intentionally go up in the air? He hid behind that sycamore each Nov. 14 for 20 years or so afterward because it hid him from the speeches, the families, the orphans, maybe his own remorse. "'The phrase is about respect, and it makes you realize you can't take anything for granted. "My mom got on the phone, and then she just passed out, said Carolyn Harris, the youngest daughter. "I didn't do anything except for fishing, hunting and construction work," he said. On a rainy hill side in Wayne County, West Virginia, the lives of 75 people were lost in the worst single air tragedy in NCAA sports history. While in the air, the plane struck a tree on a tall hill and crashed to the ground. Football made sense to him.". "They were all crying, all these huge linemen," Mary Jane said. Memorial newspaper page from The Herald-Advertiser. "He was a tremendous athlete who could do it all. Members of the current team also visited a nearby cemetery, where six players from the 1970 team whose bodies were never identified were buried. Digital Collections Couldn't keep my voice straight. [4], At the time, Marshall's athletic teams rarely traveled by plane, since most away games were within easy driving distance of the campus. history". Insurance agents were annoying. Inscription. Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. If her husband was too hard-nosed or too tough, those notions were dispelled in the days after her world was turned upside down. They all had said great things about him. Saylor was killed in the plane crash. "I could hear the speeches and see what was going on [from behind the tree]," he said. [8], The board made three recommendations as a result of this accident, including recommendations for heads-up displays, ground proximity warning devices, and surveillance and inspection of flight operations. Frank Hall Abbott Jr. 18 Mar 1923 - 14 Nov 1970. The team finished the 1971 season with a 2-8 record, but just winning a single game was a miracle after what Marshall went through a season prior. "All of them were fighting and arguing over each other about whose fault it was. The 6500 lb, 13 ft-high (2900 kg, 4 m-high) sculpture was completed within a year and a half. "It was losing faith in these ministers. Prior to the state Senate's unanimous vote Wednesday, the chamber held a moment of silence for the crash victims at . The next day, Mary Jane was gone. Dawson noticed him wiping his eyes. There is still a hint of that strapping tight end's body. The two played in the same defensive backfield for Virginia Tech in the late 1960s. On Saturday, 75 candles surrounded the fountain. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. He went to work one day and didn't come home.". Sometimes Gilbert -- Marshall's president -- comes over for a couple of beers. Prior to the state Senates unanimous vote Wednesday, the chamber held a moment of silence for the crash victims at the request of Upshur County Republican Sen. Bill Hamilton. She has made it her responsibility to track down pictures of all 75 victims for Saturday's memorial. He has traveled internationally and led huge congregations. Hewlett gave Carter a pamphlet titled, "Steps To Peace With God." The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. No one could have imagined how deep a downward spiral Marshall University's football program would face in the late 1960's. 37 of them were members of the football team. Forty years from the time they had last seen each other -- the day before the crash -- the teacher saw the student and asked, "Soletta, is that you?". "At 21, you haven't been familiar with death. "In my case, it became clear four years later. We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. Back in 1970, he had already attended a pair of Marshall games with Harris Sr. (Huntington, W.Va. is about a nine-hour drive from Passaic) and was approached to go down to see the Thundering Herd play East Carolina. "Anniversaries are supposed to be happy," Slezak said . Yes, we grieve. We Are Marshall starred Matthew McConaughey as Jack Lengyel, the head coach who took over the program in 1971. The two didn't get along, according to Dawson. > The 1970 Marshall Thundering Herd football team was an American football team that represented Marshall University as an independent during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. I had 75 angels there.". Mary Jane was persistent. I knew as soon as I saw the police car. It went beyond physical damage. (AP Photo/John Raby, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news, left behind six children who were being babysat. To be honest, when she told me, I didn't believe her because we had never had a plane trip.". "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. Bobby East, driver of the #21 Ford during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, died Wednesday, July 13, 2022, after being fatally stabbed at a gas station in Westminster, Calif. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. > One day, she rounded a corner in her house. The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. I'll be right over.' The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. "[7] The remains of six passengers were never identified. So were the religious types who were too numerous for their messages to get through. 16 and undefeated at 6-0. The airliner's crew was Captain Frank Abbot (47), First Officer Jerry Smith (28), plus two flight attendants. Lucianne Call hasn't lost much of her cheerleading enthusiasm. [3] The team was returning home after a 1714 loss to the East Carolina Pirates at Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina. It was raining hard, and he remembered seeing ambulances speeding past the group. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Because it was the Herd's only charter flight of the season, boosters and prominent citizens were on the plane, including a city councilman, a state legislator, and four physicians. Sketch titled "America Weeps, Saturday Nov. 14, 1970." Tolley gladly gave Carter time off -- even bought him the plane ticket -- to travel back to bury his father. He hid because they met once a year at the Spring Hill Cemetery memorial that honors the 75 souls who perished in the crash of the Marshall University football team plane 50 years ago this Saturday. It was donated to the university by Marshall fans and is attached to Joan C. Edwards Stadium on the west faade. ". The aircraft began its normal descent after passing the outer marker, but did not arrest its descent and hold altitude at 1,240ft (380m), as required by the assigned instrument approach procedure. She went to the premiere in a wheelchair prior to her first chemotherapy treatment. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. That game did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was the offensive tackle. "Just a very smart guy. Sort By. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. He said,'Mrs. They arrived shortly before sunrise. Because of the intensity of the crash, officials were unable to identify six of the players remains. "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". Plymale said 64 children lost one or both of their parents in the crash. He was also the offensive line coach. "I was wondering when somebody is going to come up and say, 'You can't do that,' " Dawson said. The dog's name was Sturmisch. "For years, it was just a total devastating thing," Call said. His football will didn't come back quickly, but something has changed over the years. The crew established radio contact with air traffic controllers at 7:23 pm with instructions to descend to 5,000ft (1,500m). Without an official designation, she has become the best historian of the events of 50 years ago. No one will ever know exactly how Harris Sr. ended up on the plane. Among them were Dr. Ray Hagley, who was a Marshall team physician, and his wife. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. The ceremony was held by invitation-only due to the coronavirus pandemic and was made available online. On November 14, 1970 a DC-9 airliner carrying the Marshall University football team, coaches, and supporters crashed on final approach to Tri-State Airport n. "It was something the Lord gave her to tell me," Carter said. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and rain into a hillside upon approach to an airport near Huntington as the team was returning from a game at East Carolina, killing all 75 on board. These are some of their stories, 50 years later. One year later, the unthinkable happened. "For a long time, he couldn't handle it," Call said. On November 14, Southern Airways Flight 932, which was chartered by the school to fly the Thundering Herd football team, coaches, and fans to Kinston, North Carolina for a game against the East Carolina Pirates and back to Huntington, crashed on approach to Tri-State Airport after clipping trees just west of the runway and impacting nose-first into a hollow. section: | slug: they-are-marshall-50-years-after-the-plane-crash-those-closest-to-the-tragedy-are-still-healing | sport: collegefootball | route: article_single.us | Eventually, Rick won over their hearts and minds. Marshall won just two games, and the first winning season didnt come for another 13 years. This time, they decided if all couldn't go, none of them could go. Harris died in the 1970 plane crash. A sign of renewed life. Across the nation, many expressed their condolences. Harris, I have bad news.' > If he had gone with Art Sr., would they have made the same mistake or would they have flown to the correct city? Tri-State airport installed a glide slope using federal funds in 1972. And then, after the game, if Slezak had been there, would that have deterred Art Sr. from getting on the plane? In 2000, at age 50, Call became a flight attendant with USAir Express. Rick Tolley is behind him. It has been so long that the tragedy has been memorialized that Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick has calculated that the date falls on a Saturday every seven years. [2][7] The plane burst into flames and created a swath of charred ground 95ft (29m) wide and 279ft (85m) long. On the 50th anniversary, they're both still around. "I asked her many, many times [why she urged him to stay] before she passed," Carter said. Carter hardly knew anyone on the team who carried on. It is the center of activity of the campus. David Debord, #76, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. He recalled talking at length with some of his counterparts at Wichita State, and how they leaned on each other for support. A week later, he died at age 66 as a result of the injury. Photos: 48th Annual Memorial Fountain Service 2018. "At 1 o'clock in the morning, a detective came to the door. Patient as an elementary school teacher but also unrelenting. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. There was no reason to be around. God's providence? On the flight, were 37 members of the football team, several coaches, fans and crew members totaling 75. "Al" Saylor, #88,1970 MU Football team, Charles Kautz, MU A/D and coaches, 1970 MU football team, Dave Griffith, #81, 1970 MU Football team. Gone were sons, fathers, mothers, classmates and fraternity brothers. "As I listened to the scriptures," Carter said, "the Lord has purpose for each one of our lives.". The rest were pilots, crew, coaches, administrators, boosters and business leaders. Dawson goes to games again. > (JACK BURNETT/AP) Once again, on Saturday, Dawson will speak at the fountain ceremony. His life was spared that night a half century ago. White roses were laid by the fountain as each victims name was read at the ceremony. The rebuilding was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starring Matthew McConaughey as Lengyel. Mary Jane Tolley didn't go because the local veterinarian recommended she stay because the couple's dog was sick. briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. In the transcript of their cockpit communications in the final minutes, the pilots briefly debated that their autopilot had "captured" for a glide slope descent, although the airport was only equipped with a localizer. Spring Hill Cemetery, site of the Marshall Memorial for the 75 plane crash victims. Trademarked and copyrighted images and insignia are the exclusive property of Marshall University. "The Lord has been good to me," he concluded. It was impossible for the remaining Marshall players to forget about their fallen teammates, but they had to when the 1971 season approached. To this day, she isn't satisfied. It was the second college football team plane crash in a little over a month, after the October 2 crash that killed 31 (head coach, 14 Wichita State players, and 16 others). After the plane crash, she became the only thing that I had.". Dawson was not on the plane when it crashed. MU plane crash historical marker, Wayne County, W.Va. Southern Airways DC-9, similiar to plane that crashed with MU football team, Dedication of Memorial Fountain to MU plane crash victims, Nov. 12, 1972, William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Asst.