He was the Athletic Director for MU. His jersey hangs in Passaic High School. [24], Marshall was scheduled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the air disaster in their football season opener on August 29, 2020. What they witnessed was dystopian. I knew as soon as I saw the police car. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; Roy Slezak refuses to call it an anniversary. One day, the wife of the head coach was in class. 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. That is certainly what was going to happen.". Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. "It was something the Lord gave her to tell me," Carter said. He played Defensive end. On November 12, 1972, the Memorial Fountain was dedicated at the entrance of the Memorial Student Center. 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. Carter maintains he was spared because of God's providence. 77 memorials. The two had breakfast together and talked for hours. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . 10:00 am ET. "God has a time for each one of us," Carter said. Officials sift through wreckage at the Marshall plane crash site, 1970. The team and residents of the town still gather together every year in memorial of the fallen fellows. "I asked her many, many times [why she urged him to stay] before she passed," Carter said. That bitterness lingered. He went to work one day and didn't come home.". All Rights Reserved. 2023 Marshall University. Patricia Smith was adopted and eventually, after exhaustive research, tracked down the identity of her father at age 30. 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. Call is giddy talking about Marshall president Jerome Gilbert's initiative to award all 36 players their diplomas at a Friday afternoon ceremony. The return became the subject of the film, "We Are Marshall". ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? The controller gave them clearance to land. It's called survivor's guilt, the feeling of unfairly surviving an incident when others did not. The decision had been made long before the East Carolina game that Dawson would be out recruiting after the game. 16 and undefeated at 6-0. "When the 14th of November comes around every year, all the worms and stuff start getting in your head," Dawson said. Bear Bryant called Dawson, recommending them. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) 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 Universitys football team. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Football made sense to him.". I made a promise to Mrs. Harris that he would never be forgotten.. Without any particular reason, Carter stayed. Spring Hill Cemetery, site of the Marshall Memorial for the 75 plane crash victims. Yolanda Shoebridge, the mother ofTed Shoebridge, called the Harris home on Linden Street. The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. Marshall's Plane Crash Happened 52 Years Ago, But the Memory Still Remains. MU_PLANE_CRASH. 1. So why would anyone living with all that baggage intentionally go up in the air? (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive), "'We Are Marshall' just stuck," Smith said. Never defeated. On Saturday, 75 candles surrounded the fountain. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. 1970 Crash Victims. "She was wonderful," Mary Jane Tolley said of Sturmisch. Fr. "People still talk about that," Hamrick said. The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. My Account "We'd always rode buses.". DAntoni is now Marshalls basketball coach. Wayne County Democratic Sen. Robert Plymale was 15 at the time and was with friends in Kenova, near the airport. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Parker flew to the game, but did not fly back, having switched places with Deke Brackett, another coach. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Dawson was retained by Tolley. By JOHN RABY February 15, 2023. "This was the first time dad was so proud that we were going [to fly] first class," Call said. They left behind six children who were being babysat by Dan DAntoni, a 23-year-old assistant with the Marshall basketball program in 1970. Plymales mother attended a funeral in North Carolina, and her family became close friends with the victims family. Griffith died in the 1970 plane crash. [5] The accident is the deadliest tragedy to have affected any sports team in U.S. [12] Lengyel led the Thundering Herd to a 933 record during his tenure, which ended after the 1974 season. [15], Marshall University President John G. Barker and Vice President Dedmon appointed a memorial committee soon after the crash. "You have to realize he had to tell several, several players' families, all the ones that he recruited. [23] The tribute was repeated for the rest of the season, including when Marshall met Rice in the 2013 Conference USA Football Championship game. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- 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 . 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. Among them were Dr. Ray Hagley, who was a Marshall team physician, and his wife. It was impossible for the remaining Marshall players to forget about their fallen teammates, but they had to when the 1971 season approached. Memorial Fountain on the Marshall University campus, dedicated in 1972. In 1968, Dawson was hired by new Marshall coach Perry Moss as defensive coordinator. William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Acting Head Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd MU Football team, 1st spring practice, April 1971, b&w. 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. "You sissy," Dawson said. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. MU plane crash historical marker, Wayne County, W.Va., col. (low-res digital image only). These are some of their stories, 50 years later. Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert Van Horn and Freddy Wilson had come from Druid High School. "He didn't tell anyone what he was going to do until the last minute," Hamrick said. 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. > The NCAA granted Marshall permission to use freshmen on the varsity squad, something which was not allowed at the time. Eventually, Rick won over their hearts and minds. Of course, she misses her husband. He returned to find a city, a university and a program in despair. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshall's Huntington campus. 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. Among those who were not on the Marshall plane were Red Dawson, an assistant coach who was driving on a recruiting trip and was heading home when he learned about the crash. The Harris family detailed thatevening in a 1995 article in The Record. She graduated from Marshall in 1971. He said, No, you keep your commitment, that is what you do, there will be other games, Slezak said. 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. The crash was the worst in American sports history. Digital Collections Its not an anniversary, but its a day to remember. To make matters worse, Marshall was placed on probation by the NCAA because of recruiting violations and alleged payments to its players, the Daily News reported at the time. (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash") November 14th, 1970. "That was the biggest farce you've ever seen," she said. He was the center. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. Memorial newspaper page from The Herald-Advertiser. Banners will be raised across the Marshall campus bearing their images. New Bern National Cemetery. Copyright. 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. Ferrum won the national junior college championship his first year there in 1965. Back then, Bowden was the wide receivers coach. He said,'Mrs. While Wichita State ended its football program in 1986, Marshall carried on. "It was not a premonition. [20], On December 11, 2006, a memorial plaque was dedicated at the plane crash site. In the days before instant news, the fog of tragedy took time to lift. The rebuilding was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starring Matthew McConaughey as Lengyel. We'll look at what happened to the Marshall University football program as a . One day, she rounded a corner in her house. Reggie Oliver was an outgoing quarterback who eventually made his way into the Marshall hall of fame. He was an incredible all-around athlete. He was 37. Middle guard Ed Carter was back in Wichita Falls, Texas, that terrible day to bury his father. If you play football at Marshall University, you have a role to make sure that's never forgotten.". "I didn't want anybody to see me crying. Sturmisch lived to be 13. "He had a great future in front of him. The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. 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). It's more than that, of course. "I can remember the hurt in my stomach like it was yesterday," Beamer said. Aircraft and crew. 00:00 / 00:00. That game did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "He definitely had pro potential, no question," formerPassaiccoach John Federici, told The Record in 2001. > After the plane crash, she became the only thing that I had.". "I always loved to fly," she said. [13][14], The Marshall University football team only won two games during the 1971 season, against Xavier and Bowling Green. To this day, she isn't satisfied. The flight shouldve been nothing more than a formality, but the team would never reach their destination back in Huntington. At 7:34pm, the airliner's crew reported passing Tri-State Airport's outer marker. "Straightforward, old time" is how Dawson described him. Special Collections The town died. It was donated to the university by Marshall fans and is attached to Joan C. Edwards Stadium on the west faade. He had to rent a car to get to the game,then asked if there were seats on the plane to get back to Marshall. 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. 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. There was room for only a few of them on the plane to Kinston, North Carolina. William Alfred "Red" Dawson was one of the best players Bobby Bowden ever saw. The aircraft was a 95-seat, twin-jet engine Douglas DC-9-30 with tail registration N97S. I try to think about all the good times and the memories we made, Slezak said. Carter hardly knew anyone on the team who carried on. 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. The rest were pilots, crew, coaches, administrators, boosters and business leaders. [4], At the time, Marshall's athletic teams rarely traveled by plane, since most away games were within easy driving distance of the campus. Her flight made it safely back to that same Tri-State Airport the Marshall plane never reached. On Saturday, it will be Middle Tennessee State. 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.
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