The Marshall football team tragedy remains one of the saddest sports stories of all time. The actual damage was incalculable. In 1968, Dawson was hired by new Marshall coach Perry Moss as defensive coordinator. [4], The NTSB investigated the accident and its final report was issued on April 14, 1972. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The bill establishes that Nov. 14 will become a special memorial day in remembrance of the crash. Marshall Thundering Herd cheerleaders react as a video saluting the 1970 team that was killed in a plane crash is shown on the scoreboard prior to. "The Lord has been good to me," he concluded. Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. Private. When Lengyel was hired as Tolley's replacement, Dawson stayed but only for a while. Charlie Kautz was Marshall's athletic director in 1970. Parker flew to the game, but did not fly back, having switched places with Deke Brackett, another coach. Defensive back. 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. Head coach Rick Tolley was among the crash victims. At 7:34pm, the airliner's crew reported passing Tri-State Airport's outer marker. The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. The report also noted that the craft approached the Catlettsburg Refinery in the final 30 seconds before impact, which "could haveaffecteda visual illusion produced by the difference in the elevation of the refinery and the airport," which was nearly 300ft (91m) higher than the refinery, with hills in between. It really sort of shapes the fiber in you, of what you are.. It is based upon ideas by John and Ann Krieger of Huntington. Former WSAZ-TV reporter Bob Brunner shared with CBS Sports, in disturbing detail, the sights and smells he experienced that night trudging up the hill and witnessing the wreckage. 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. Red Dawson was admittedly bitter. Southern Airways Flight 932. Four of the crash victims were students in her class, and Marshall faculty were sent to attend the funerals. "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. They even won a couple of games. Dawson's brother had been recruited by Bryant, so there was a relationship. "We stayed friends forever," Dawson said proudly. "Straightforward, old time" is how Dawson described him. Pure chance, some cases. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. 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. Fr. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. FAQ Those were diplomas they never had a chance to receive. Marshall won just two games, and the first winning season didnt come for another 13 years. Bear Bryant called Dawson, recommending them. ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. Huntington, West Virginia: The four remaining starters from the 1970 first string team of Marshall University take time out to pause at flower arrangement placed at Marshall Field following the devastating plane crash that killed all 75 aboard. No one could have imagined how deep a downward spiral Marshall University's football program would face in the late 1960's. This goes deep, Plymale said. They became friends and fished together. The event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever . She would just listen to the game on the radio. All 75 passengers on the team plane were killed in the crash, including 37 members of the Marshall University football team, eight football coaches, including head coach Rick Tolley, athletic director Charlie Kautz, 25 boosters and five flight crew members. The airport was not properly equipped. Shops and government offices closed; businesses on the town's main street draped their windows in black bunting," History.com reported. history.[6]. Woelfel, who had a speaking part in the movie, said it brought a lot of people back together to deal with the loss and they did it collectively. The ceremony was held by invitation-only due to the coronavirus pandemic and was made available online. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. [16] The sculpture's designer, Harry Bertoia, created the $25,000 memorial that incorporated bronze, copper tubing, and welding rods. We Are Marshall.. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. We Are Marshall starred Matthew McConaughey as Jack Lengyel, the head coach who took over the program in 1971. "Oh sure, you ask yourself, 'Why did I miss it and all my friends and coaches were killed?' The college town agreed with him. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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). Never defeated. With 37 players gone due to the horrific tragedy, the NCAA allowed Marshalls freshmen players to suit up the next season. Home - The Yeti Airlines flight with 68. "It was not a premonition. Rosanna Blake Library of Confederate History, Jim "Shorty" Moss (Offensive Coordinator), Ed Starling (Assistant Director of Athletics), Mark J. Smaha (Assistant Athletic Trainer), Louis A. Peake (Assistant Athletic Trainer), James H. Wilson (Assistant Athletic Trainer), Mervin G. Black (Assistant Equipment Manager), Eugene Jones (Assistant Football Manager), Gerald Sieber (Assistant Football Manager), David W. Byrd (Student Equipment Manager), Special Collections, Morrow Library, 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Dawson hopes it goes as well as last year. The plane descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude, striking trees on a hillside about one mile from the runway. [21], November 14, 2013, marked the first time that Marshall had played a road game on an anniversary of the disaster. That's the unseen damage left a half century later after a Southern Airways DC- 9 carrying the Thundering Herd back from a game at East Carolina crashed into a hill a mile short of the Tri-State Airport in Huntington, West Virginia. The Tolleys loved their German Shepherd. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. "Red," Call said recently, "where you going to be buried?". "She was wonderful," Mary Jane Tolley said of Sturmisch. Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options? (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash") November 14th, 1970. I never wanted to miss a chance to see Art play.. [19], On November 11, 2000, the We Are Marshall Memorial Bronze was dedicated. Tolley gladly gave Carter time off -- even bought him the plane ticket -- to travel back to bury his father. At 7:36 p.m. Nov. 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed into a hill just short of the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board. He was well-liked by his teammates not a rah-rah kid, but one who led by example.". Near Huntington, West Virginia. Another plaque memorializing the 1970 Marshall football team was unveiled at East Carolina University on the same day and can be seen at the guest team entrance of DowdyFicklen Stadium. Some who were left off the flight and did not make the trip or lost loved ones spent the next five decades with crippling questions that had no answers. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; The team and residents of the town still gather together every year in memorial of the fallen fellows. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. There were 64 children who became orphans after losing one or both parents on the flight. | "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. We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. Accessibility Statement, Privacy As part of an annual rite, the . He said, No, you keep your commitment, that is what you do, there will be other games, Slezak said. Unprepared, Dawson was named acting coach. At that time, I thought I was a pretty bad-ass man.". At 7:36pm on November 14, 1970, the aircraft crashed into a hill just short of the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board in what has been recognized as "the worst sports-related air tragedy in U.S. Harris Sr. told Slezak he had to keep his promises. It was a rainy night. 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). Among the 75 who perished were 36 players. 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?". [12] Lengyel led the Thundering Herd to a 933 record during his tenure, which ended after the 1974 season. The team originally planned to cancel the flight, but changed plans and chartered the Southern Airways DC-9. Mary Jane was persistent. As a memorial to the 75 victims, the Marshall players wore the number 75 on their helmets. Special Collections Digital Collections Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C. [13][14], The Marshall University football team only won two games during the 1971 season, against Xavier and Bowling Green. "The reason it's survivor's guilt is because so many people changed their mind at the last minute," Call said. A bill has won final legislative approval in West Virginia that would establish an annual day of recognition for the worst sports disaster in U.S. history, a plane crash that killed most of Marshall University's football team. They arrived shortly before sunrise. Sometimes Gilbert -- Marshall's president -- comes over for a couple of beers. "We got her when she was 6 weeks old. Before the noon ET game, a crowd will gather at Spring Hill Cemetery once again to observe the past but also celebrate what they and the university have become. But I already knew. Jack Lengyel was hired as the new coach in 1971. Nepal's army and volunteers carry the body of a victim who died in a Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara on January 17, 2023. The town died. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); "I can remember the hurt in my stomach like it was yesterday," Beamer said. 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. "Apparently, it was time God saw fit to call them.". Middle guard Ed Carter was back in Wichita Falls, Texas, that terrible day to bury his father. "I could hear the speeches and see what was going on [from behind the tree]," he said. Memorial at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia to the victims of the 1970 plane crash. The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. College Football Player, Plane Crash Victim. He became acting head coach in 1971, and formed the "Young Thundering Herd". Couldn't keep my voice straight. I had 75 angels there.". And on Saturday, the 16th-ranked football team won, defeating Middle Tennessee 42-14. Marshall coach Doc Holliday invited him to speak to the team. "The town immediately went into mourning. There are so many stories of folks who either got a spot on the plane at the last minute or were bumped off. Barry W. Nash, #35,1970 MU Football team, b&w. To be honest, when she told me, I didn't believe her because we had never had a plane trip.". The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. There was no playbook, and nobody had been in that position before.". [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). Her flight made it safely back to that same Tri-State Airport the Marshall plane never reached. New Bern National Cemetery. There were injured players who stayed behind. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . [1] The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. All Rights Reserved. Trademarked and copyrighted images and insignia are the exclusive property of Marshall University. Following its plane crash, Wichita State was granted similar permission to use freshmen on the varsity to resume its 1970 season. If he had gone with Art Sr., would they have made the same mistake or would they have flown to the correct city? Never forget. "This was the first time dad was so proud that we were going [to fly] first class," Call said. There is already a plot there for one more. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Officials at the site of the Nov. 14, 1970, Marshall University plane crash at Tri-State Airport in Kenova, W.Va., secure a charred engine for removal to an airport hangar. Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. Instead, the descent continued for another 300ft (91m) for unknown reasons, apparently without either crew member actually seeing the airport lights or runway. Following a 17-14 loss, he was driving down with a graduate assistant to recruit a linebacker -- out of Ferrum of all places -- Billy Joe Mantooth. 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. Dawson was retained by Tolley. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The two didn't get along, according to Dawson. Charlie had given his wife a manifest before he left. About 10 years ago at a reunion, Mary Jane glanced across the room. var _gaq = _gaq || []; On the flight, were 37 members of the football team, several coaches, fans and crew members totaling 75. The Lord watched over me so that he could save me and put me in the ministry to serve him.". He met with former Marshall coach Red Dawson, who gave away his seat on the plane that night. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. "It was horrible because it was a non-ending funeral. To this day, she isn't satisfied. Photos: 48th Annual Memorial Fountain Service 2018. "He definitely had pro potential, no question," formerPassaiccoach John Federici, told The Record in 2001. Carter read his own obituary the next day in the local newspaper. Frank Loria was one of Beamer's best friends. ". })(); (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash"). I try to think about all the good times and the memories we made, Slezak said. Huntington, WV 25755. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images). That is certainly what was going to happen.". This college football 1970s season article is a stub. If you play football at Marshall University, you have a role to make sure that's never forgotten.". 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. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshalls Huntington campus. briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. Patricia Smith was adopted and eventually, after exhaustive research, tracked down the identity of her father at age 30. Carelli was killed in the Mu plane crash. I realized I had been wrong about that.". He was the offensive tackle. Mary Jane Tolley didn't go because the local veterinarian recommended she stay because the couple's dog was sick. Captain Frank H. Abbott, Jr. , aged 47, was employed by Southern Airways, Inc.. Marshall University Football Team Players: James Michael Adams, of Mansfield, Ohio - Guard, Mark Raeburn Andrews, of Cincinnati, Ohio - Offensive Guard, Mike Francis Blake, of Huntington, West Virginia - Linebacker, Dennis Michael Blevins, of Bluefield, West Virginia - Wide Receiver, Willie Bluford Jr., of Greenwood, South Carolina - Wide receiver, Larry Brown, of Atlanta, Georgia - Defensive Guard, Thomas Wayne Brown, of Richmond, Virginia - Defensive Guard, Roger Keith Childers, of St. Albana, West Virginia, Stuart Spence Cottrell, of Eustis, Florida - Defensive Back, Richard Lee Dardinger, of Mount Vernon, Ohio - Center, David Grant DeBord, of Quincy, Florida - Offensive Tackle, Kevin Francis Gilmore, of Harrison, New Jersey - Halfback, David Dearing Griffith, Jr, of Clarksville, Virginia - Defensive End, Arthur W. Harris, of Passaic, New Jersey - Halfback, Robert Anthony Harris, of Cincinnati, Ohio - Quarterback, Bob Wayne Hill, of Dallas, Texas - Defensive Back, Joe Lee Hood, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama - Halfback, James Thomas Howard Jr., of Milton, West Virginia - Offensive Guard, Marcelo H. Lajterman, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey - Kicking Specialist, Richard Adam Lech, of Columbus, Ohio - Defensive Back, Barry Winston Nash, of Accoville, West Virginia - Tight End, Patrick Jay Norrell, of Hartsdale, New York - Offensive Guard, James Robert Patterson, of Louisburg, North Carolina - Offensive Tackle, Scottie Lee Reese, of Waco, Texas - Defensive End, John Anton Repasy Jr., of Cincinnati, Ohio - Wide Reciever, Larry Sanders, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama - Defensive Back, Charles Alan "Al" Saylor, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio - Defensive End, Arthur Kirk Shannon, of Greensboro, North Carolina - Linebacker, Lionel Ted Shoebridge, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey - Quarterback, Allen Gene Skeens, of Ravenswood, West Virginia - Center, Jerry Dodson Stainback, of Newport News, Virginia - Linebacker, Donald Tackett, Jr., of Paden City, West Virginia, Robert James Van Horn, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama - Tackle, Roger Arnie Vanover, of Russell, Kentucky - Defensive End, Freddie Clay Wilson, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama - Tackle, John Patton Young, of Buckhannon, West Virginia - Tight End, Thomas Jonathan Zborill, of Richmond, Virginia - Defensive End, Charles Arnold, of Huntington, West Virginia, Rachel Lynette Arnold, of Huntington, West Virginia, Dr. Joseph Chambers, of Huntington, West Virginia - Local physician, Margaret Chambers, of Huntington, West Virginia, Dr. Ray Hagley, of Huntington, West Virginia - Local physician, Shirley Ann Hagley, of Huntington, West Virginia, Arthur L. Harris, of Passaic, New Jersey - Father of player Art Harris, E.O.