At the time of the crash, Harris Jr. led Marshall in rushing and kick returns. The two played in the same defensive backfield for Virginia Tech in the late 1960s. [23] The tribute was repeated for the rest of the season, including when Marshall met Rice in the 2013 Conference USA Football Championship game. "Just a very smart guy. 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. "The Young Herd" that carried on in 1971 had a new coach, Jack Lengyel. Griffith died in the 1970 plane crash. All three were killed in the plane crash. There are so many stories of folks who either got a spot on the plane at the last minute or were bumped off. Back then, Bowden was the wide receivers coach. 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. "He wasn't a real big guy, but I don't know how many ballcarriers he hit and knocked them back in the direction they came from," Beamer said. He has traveled internationally and led huge congregations. They became friends and fished together. Tolley's grave was moved up there a few years ago. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. A travesty.". From there, he could see them talk, cry, even reminisce about the largest air disaster in United States sports history. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5. . [12] Lengyel led the Thundering Herd to a 933 record during his tenure, which ended after the 1974 season. Shops and government offices closed; businesses on the town's main street draped their windows in black bunting," History.com reported. Spring Hill Cemetery, site of the Marshall Memorial for the 75 plane crash victims. 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. In its second season under head coach Rick Tolley, the team compiled a 36 record and was outscored by a total of 202 to 138. "That was the biggest farce you've ever seen," she said. When Lengyel was hired as Tolley's replacement, Dawson stayed but only for a while. 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. Call is giddy talking about Marshall president Jerome Gilbert's initiative to award all 36 players their diplomas at a Friday afternoon ceremony. Largemouth bass were Tolley's favorite. The NCAA repealed that prohibition at its annual convention in January 1972. Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. If her husband was too hard-nosed or too tough, those notions were dispelled in the days after her world was turned upside down. Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert Van Horn and Freddy Wilson had come from Druid High School. Art Shannon, #34, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. Loria had been a two-time All-American at Virginia Tech. He and the sycamore have aged well. The Mid-American Conference also expelled the team for similar offenses. 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. They arrived shortly before sunrise. Near Huntington, West Virginia. 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. The crew established radio contact with air traffic controllers at 7:23 pm with instructions to descend to 5,000ft (1,500m). "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". It was the worst single air tragedy in NCAA sports history. An unfathomable 37 families were forced to mourn the death of their sons that fateful day. There was no playbook, and nobody had been in that position before.". Without any particular reason, Carter stayed. Most of his teammates were gone, forever. He was a defensive end for Marshall in 1970, and was on the chartered plane when it crashed at Tri-State Airport on November 14, 1970. Libraries 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. Hill died in the 1970 plane crash. Cabell County Democratic Sen. Mike Woelfel said he was 17 years old driving in his car in Huntington when news of the crash came on the radio. "As I listened to the scriptures," Carter said, "the Lord has purpose for each one of our lives.". It was impossible for the remaining Marshall players to forget about their fallen teammates, but they had to when the 1971 season approached. Charlie Kautz was Marshall's athletic director in 1970. . He returned to find a city, a university and a program in despair. Slezak has realized how fickle life can be. That was the era before the color barrier had been broken in the SEC. The bronze 1723 ft (57 m) statue was created by artist Burl Jones of Sissonville, West Virginia, and cost $150,000. 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). 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. Huntington, WV 25755. His football will didn't come back quickly, but something has changed over the years. He was a linebacker. On Nov 14, 1970, 75 people died in the worst sports related air tragedy in U.S. history, when a Southern Airways DC-9 crashed into the hillside nearby. Kautz died in the 1970 plane crash. Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. It still stands as the most fatal sports-related accident in history. Officials sift through wreckage at the Marshall plane crash site, 1970. > MU_PLANE_CRASH. "It was not a premonition. After suffering the loss to East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970, a majority of the Marshall team boarded Southern Airlines Flight 932. Aircraft and crew. That bitterness lingered. Sketch is matted and framed. They couldn't see. The decision had been made long before the East Carolina game that Dawson would be out recruiting after the game. "That had taken a toll on my football coaching, a lot of bad things. Two years ago, Oliver, the personable quarterback, leaned back in a chair. It has taken her more than a year. Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshall's Huntington campus. "'The phrase is about respect, and it makes you realize you can't take anything for granted. Then success occurred in streaks. Inscription. "I got a call from our operations guy. Among the losses were nearly the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, flight crew, numerous fans, and supporters. There is already a plot there for one more. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); The town died. It slipped out from underneath him, according to Dawson, and Oliver hit his head. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. [11] Dawson was a coach from the previous staff who had driven back from the East Carolina game along with Gail Parker, a freshman coach. 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. Unprepared, Dawson was named acting coach. Not surprisingly, Call will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's memorial. It's called survivor's guilt, the feeling of unfairly surviving an incident when others did not. We Are Marshall.. There's no evidence any of those left behind were ever formally diagnosed with survivor's guilt, but you can hear it directly or indirectly when the incident is spoken about. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Mom and her intuition won. "Al" Saylor, #88,1970 MU Football team, b&w. 1970 Crash Victims. "I could hear the speeches and see what was going on [from behind the tree]," he said. Tottenham Hotspur players observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash involving the Brazilian club Chapecoense prior to the Premier. He was taken away way too soon.". One John Marshall Drive, 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. "When the 14th of November comes around every year, all the worms and stuff start getting in your head," Dawson said. Wayne County Democratic Sen. Robert Plymale was 15 at the time and was with friends in Kenova, near the airport. This site is a memorial to the lives that were lost on that evening; to honor those men and women who made a mark in the hearts of a school, a community and a nation. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. "I asked her many, many times [why she urged him to stay] before she passed," Carter said. Marshall decided to continue the football program. Varsity Aces Live: Marshall Football Plane Crash 50th Anniversary. Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C. Sort By. Every one of the 75 people on board died in the crash. "I didn't do anything except for fishing, hunting and construction work," he said. His body could not be identified, and with five other players, they were all buried. " Carter said. This time, they decided if all couldn't go, none of them could go. His close friend and neighbor, Art Harris Jr., was one of the Marshall players who died. Mary Jane Tolley didn't go because the local veterinarian recommended she stay because the couple's dog was sick. (JACK BURNETT/AP) Following its plane crash, Wichita State was granted similar permission to use freshmen on the varsity to resume its 1970 season. Dave Griffith, #81, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Banners will be raised across the Marshall campus bearing their images. Shannon died in the plane crash. Frank Loria was one of Beamer's best friends. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. [7]:37, On November 15, 1970, a memorial service was held at the indoor, 8,500-seat Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse with moments of silence, remembrances, and prayers. At that time, I thought I was a pretty bad-ass man.". When it came time to return, Carter's mother Sarah urged him to stay at home. Southern Airways Flight 932 was a chartered Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 domestic United States commercial jet flight from Stallings Field (ISO) in Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS) near Kenova and Ceredo, West Virginia. Two-and-a-half months ago, Dawson remarried. He said, No, you keep your commitment, that is what you do, there will be other games, Slezak said. Before the trip, they were scheduled to go on a recruiting mission to Ferrum College after the ECUMarshall game, in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to recruit junior college linebacker Billy Joe Mantooth. The trip took 20 hours. Marshall's defensive coordinator did not return home with the team. The NCAA granted Marshall permission to use freshmen on the varsity squad, something which was not allowed at the time. Copyright. They further stated, "The Board has been unable to determine the reason for this [greater] descent, although the two most likely explanations are (a) improper use of cockpit instrumentation data, or (b) an altimetry system error. "I'm sure you can pretty much figure that one out," said Mary Jane Tolley, wife of head coach Rick Tolley, who died in the crash. In the following weeks, Lengyel was aided in his attempts by receivers' coach Red Dawson. Authorities continually brought "old charred things" to her hoping to gain the identity of victims. Tolley gladly gave Carter time off -- even bought him the plane ticket -- to travel back to bury his father. "My mom got on the phone, and then she just passed out, said Carolyn Harris, the youngest daughter. What good is it going to do anybody?' 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Dawson was retained by Tolley. 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 reason it's survivor's guilt is because so many people changed their mind at the last minute," Call said. We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. Patient as an elementary school teacher but also unrelenting. "We'd always rode buses.". "People still talk about that," Hamrick said. Lucianne Call hasn't lost much of her cheerleading enthusiasm. > All 75 people on board died. The Unexpected Death of University of Connecticut Football Player Jasper Howard.