2004-2023 CBS Interactive. After the crash, Red Dawson helped bring together a group of players who were on the junior varsity football team during the 1970 season, as well as students and athletes from other sports, to form a 1971 football team.[12]. Reggie Oliver was an outgoing quarterback who eventually made his way into the Marshall hall of fame. December 11, 2006, Huntington Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field, Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, 38 22' 27" N. latitude and 82 34' 42" W. longitude, 2013 Conference USA Football Championship game, 1970 Marshall Thundering Herd football team, List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft, Wichita State University football team plane crash, "Marshall crash still looms after 36 years", "Plane crash devastates Marshall University", "The story of the 1970 Marshall Plane Crash", "Tragedy litters the sports landscape: Marshall remains the worst sports-related air disaster", "Reporter recalls memories from worst sports- related air tragedy in US history", "NTSB Aircraft Accident Report Southern Airways Inc. DC-9, N97S, Tri-State Airport, Huntington, West Virginia, November 14, 1970", "People have not forgotten Marshall Crash 30 years ago", "Emotions of tragedy drew Lengyel to Marshall", "Marshall football, 50 years after plane crash, carries on, and remembers", "Akron Alum Jack Lengyel to Receive AFCA's McLaughry Award", "Memorial Fountain designed to represent 'upward growth, immortality, eternality', "Marshall Memorial Bronze unveiled to mix of emotions", "Marker placed at site of crash, Dec. 11, 2006", "43 years later, Marshall still honors memory of fallen players", "Marshall Football to Don '75' Helmets for Remainder of Season", "ECU, Marshall game postponed due to pandemic", Aviation history synopsis of Southern Airways Flight 932 (with photographs), List of victims of Southern Airways Flight 932, PlaneCrashInfo.Com Southern Airways Flight 932 entry, Marshall University Forensic Science Graduate Program, Marshall University South Charleston Campus, Arthur Weisberg Family Engineering Laboratories, Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center, Evergreen International Airlines Flight 17, 1990 Wayne County Airport runway collision, Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_Airways_Flight_932&oldid=1142434206, Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1970, Airliner accidents and incidents in West Virginia, Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain, Accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, November 1970 events in the United States, Aviation accidents and incidents involving sports teams, Articles with dead external links from May 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 10:15. Patient as an elementary school teacher but also unrelenting. Not only that, she happened to be on a flight during 9/11. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. "Straightforward, old time" is how Dawson described him. [1] The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. Anniversaries are supposed to be happy, Slezak said from his home in New Mexico. She graduated from Marshall in 1971. [4][9], The effects of the crash on Huntington went far beyond the Marshall campus. Charlie Kautz had lived long enough to give away Lucianne at her wedding only five months earlier. FAQ I never wanted to miss a chance to see Art play.. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. DAntoni is now Marshalls basketball coach. Spring Hill Cemetery, site of the Marshall Memorial for the 75 plane crash victims. This flight was the only flight that year for the Marshall University football team. Largemouth bass were Tolley's favorite. (function() { We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. "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. "I got a call from our operations guy. The inspiring story even made it to the big screen in 2006. The movie details the tragic deaths of nearly the entire football program in 1970 and the rebuilding of a school and town all at once. The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. The Tolleys were ingrained in the community. While Wichita State ended its football program in 1986, Marshall carried on. (JACK BURNETT/AP), "We carry on the legacy for them, but even after all those who were personally connected are gone, those guys still deserve to be remembered because it's just a travesty, what happened. "This was the first time dad was so proud that we were going [to fly] first class," Call said. Body unidentified and buried with five other unidentified players in Spring Hill Cemetery. | Griffith died in the 1970 plane crash. Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. Most of his teammates were gone, forever. 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. | Dave Griffith, #81, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. [22], 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 a hillside nearby.The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5.No one survived this horrific disaster.[1]. Officials sift through wreckage at the Marshall plane crash site, 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. "Kenova to dedicate crash memorial Monday." Tottenham Hotspur players observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash involving the Brazilian club Chapecoense prior to the Premier. He said, No, you keep your commitment, that is what you do, there will be other games, Slezak said. It's more than that, of course. 37 of them were members of the football team. The corresponding flight recorder shows that the craft descended another 220ft (67m) in elevation within these 12 seconds, and the co-pilot calls out "four hundred" and agrees with the pilot they are on the correct "approach." "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. 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. 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 event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever . Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. 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. The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. Frank Loria was one of Beamer's best friends. 1. I knew as soon as I saw the police car. Charles Kautz is third from right, with tie. One John Marshall Drive, The Marshall football team tragedy remains one of the saddest sports stories of all time. Dawson was not on the plane when it crashed. 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. The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. He was 37. In the following weeks, Lengyel was aided in his attempts by receivers' coach Red Dawson. At age 78, there's a part of Dawson that questions whether fate is the lone reason he is not among those being memorialized rather than those observing it. On Saturday, 75 candles surrounded the fountain. I just hung up the phone. It was impossible for the remaining Marshall players to forget about their fallen teammates, but they had to when the 1971 season approached. "It was just a little school in the hills," Mary Jane said. 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. Carter hardly knew anyone on the team who carried on. All were on the travel squad list before the plane crash. The Thundering Herd upset Xavier, 15-13, in an emotional victory for the ages. I'll be right over.' It really sort of shapes the fiber in you, of what you are.. It was a funeral that never stopped. Sometimes Gilbert -- Marshall's president -- comes over for a couple of beers. It was real big-time negligence. It was raining hard, and he remembered seeing ambulances speeding past the group. Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. New Bern National Cemetery. Southern Airways DC-9, similiar to plane that crashed with MU footballt team, col. (low-res digital image only). 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. A week later, he died at age 66 as a result of the injury. "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. Marshall University honors the 75 lives lost in the 1970 plane crash tragedy during the 48th Annual Memorial Service on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018 . Two weeks before the release of the movie, Call was diagnosed with colon cancer. 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. Art Harris, #22, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. "Bobby got this corona[virus] thing and beat it.". It's called survivor's guilt, the feeling of unfairly surviving an incident when others did not. Unprepared, Dawson was named acting coach. Charlie had given his wife a manifest before he left. [19], On November 11, 2000, the We Are Marshall Memorial Bronze was dedicated. "Couldn't keep the tears out of my eyes. The aircraft "dipped to the right, almost inverted, and had crashed into a hollow 'nose-first'". > "We got her when she was 6 weeks old. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. Marshall captured Division I-AA national championships in 1992 and 1996 and amassed the most wins of any team in the nation in the 1990s, many of them during a step up to Division I-A, now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. But as a freshman in 1970, Oliver didn't travel. It was unveiled to thousands 90 minutes before the game with the Miami University RedHawks. So were the religious types who were too numerous for their messages to get through. Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. Fr. Prior to the state Senate's unanimous vote Wednesday, the chamber held a moment of silence for the crash victims at . Frank Loria is third from left. She feared for his safety. This is believed to be a duplicate of the plane that crashed Nov. 14, 1970 carrying MU football team. In 2006, Hollywood turned that inspiring slogan into one of the greatest sports movies ever made. 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. The subsequent negotiations resulted in a reduction of the weight of passengers and baggage and the charter flight was scheduled. (AP Photo/John Raby, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news, left behind six children who were being babysat. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash") November 14th, 1970. Bear Bryant called Dawson, recommending them. "That had taken a toll on my football coaching, a lot of bad things. They became friends and fished together. Marshall's Plane Crash Happened 52 Years Ago, But the Memory Still Remains. "For years, it was just a total devastating thing," Call said. Art Shannon, #34, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. 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. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. "You sissy," Dawson said. It was an impression he put in her heart. After suffering the loss to East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970, a majority of the Marshall team boarded Southern Airlines Flight 932. "Anniversaries are supposed to be happy," Slezak said . I told him, 'I'm afraid those guys are going to hate you because you're so hard on them.' White roses are placed along the edge of the Memorial Fountain to honor the 75 lives lost in the 1970 plane crash during the 50th Annual Memorial Fountain Service Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, at the Memorial Student Center in Huntington, W.Va. Marshall commemorated the 50th anniversary of the worst disaster in U.S. sports history, when 75 people, including most of the football team, were killed in a Nov. 14, 1970, plane crash. 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. [15], Marshall University President John G. Barker and Vice President Dedmon appointed a memorial committee soon after the crash. Shortly thereafter, he surrendered his life to Christ. Harris Jr. was named to The Bergen Records All-Century team for Passaic County. The decision had already been made regarding cheerleaders for that trip. All were on the travel squad list before the plane crash. People would come to the house and say this was meant to happen. There is already a plot there for one more. Just like winter leads to spring, these bad memories now lead us to, I think, a day of celebration, Woelfel said. The aircraft was a 95-seat, twin-jet engine Douglas DC-9-30 with tail registration N97S. The event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever measure time before or after The Crash. He became acting head coach in 1971, and formed the "Young Thundering Herd". "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. Four of the crash victims were students in her class, and Marshall faculty were sent to attend the funerals. "My wonder was, 'Why? 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. "We'd always rode buses.". They even won a couple of games. [4] The controllers advised the crew that "rain, fog, smoke and a ragged ceiling" were at the airport, making landing more difficult, but possible. He has followed Marshall football all his lifeand makes a video tribute for his friend every year. | Libraries By JOHN RABY February 15, 2023. We'll look at what happened to the Marshall University football program as a . Dawson hopes it goes as well as last year. Copyright. Digitized University Archives Collections Center Dennis Foley (#55) centers ball to Bob Harris (#12) in a scrimmage,1970 MU Football team, b&w. Huntington, WV 25755. 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." Slezak, who lived in Passaic, New Jersey,at the time,could have been on the plane that, on Nov. 14, 1970, crashed and took the lives of 75 passengers including 44 Marshall University football players and coaches, 26 fans and a crew of five. [2][7] The plane burst into flames and created a swath of charred ground 95ft (29m) wide and 279ft (85m) long. His body could not be identified, and with five other players, they were all buried. Rescue teams search for victims at the site of the Yeti Airlines plane crash, in Pokhara on January 17, 2023.