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. On Friday, the 36 players who died in the crash received degrees from Marshall in their fields of study. We each lost one or more family members, said Call, the ceremonys keynote speaker. One day, she rounded a corner in her house. "[7] The remains of six passengers were never identified. In the next second, though, the co-pilot quickly calls out new readings, "hundred and twenty-six hundred", and the sounds of impact immediately follow. No one could have imagined how deep a downward spiral Marshall University's football program would face in the late 1960's. [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]. 50 Years After: Remembering Marshall University's 1970 Plane Crash I had 75 angels there.". I didn't know what to do. Her flight made it safely back to that same Tri-State Airport the Marshall plane never reached. A mass funeral was held at the field house and many of the dead were buried at the Spring Hill Cemetery, some together because bodies were not identifiable. Private. Football seeped out of his life. Yolanda Shoebridge, the mother ofTed Shoebridge, called the Harris home on Linden Street. (JACK BURNETT/AP) 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. Trademarked and copyrighted images and insignia are the exclusive property of Marshall University. Bill to set annual remembrance for Marshall plane crash Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. His football will didn't come back quickly, but something has changed over the years. 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. 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. He went recruiting. It still stands as the most fatal sports-related accident in history. "I didn't do anything except for fishing, hunting and construction work," he said. Nash died in the 1970 plane crash. It all began with a three-year long losing streak from season 1966-69. | "For years, it was just a total devastating thing," Call said. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. Bill to set annual remembrance for Marshall plane crash Mary Jane eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia. Libraries Vast amounts of funerals took place in the weeks and months following the tragedy, which had to be planned in accordance with each other so services wouldn't overlap. The NCAA repealed that prohibition at its annual convention in January 1972. 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. [5] The accident is the deadliest tragedy to have affected any sports team in U.S. Its an inspiring tribute to those fallen lives and the devoted men who led Marshall back to glory. 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. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images). [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. Dawson noticed him wiping his eyes. He was 37. Patricia Smith was adopted and eventually, after exhaustive research, tracked down the identity of her father at age 30. 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. The subsequent negotiations resulted in a reduction of the weight of passengers and baggage and the charter flight was scheduled. The Unexpected Death of University of Connecticut Football Player Jasper Howard. Once again, on Saturday, Dawson will speak at the fountain ceremony. 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. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 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. They even won a couple of games. [4] The following Saturday, another memorial service was held at the outdoor, 18,000-seat Fairfield Stadium. If you play football at Marshall University, you have a role to make sure that's never forgotten.". 16 and undefeated at 6-0. Among them were Dr. Ray Hagley, who was a Marshall team physician, and his wife. Druid High School football players sign grants-in-aid with Marshall in the spring of 1969. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. [25], The events of the crash are documented in an episode of Aircrash Confidential titled "Disastrous Descents".[27]. "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". That is certainly what was going to happen.". That was an overwhelming responsibility.". Page 1. Authorities continually brought "old charred things" to her hoping to gain the identity of victims. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); Marshall won just two games, and the first winning season didnt come for another 13 years. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. It forever changed my life, Smith said. "We'd always rode buses.". The ceremony was held by invitation-only due to the coronavirus pandemic and was made available online. "Just a very smart guy. To this day, she isn't satisfied. Kenova native and Grammy-award winner Michael W. Smith opened the ceremony by singing Amazing Grace. He told the audience that he was 13 when the plane crashed eight minutes from his house. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Harris died in the 1970 plane crash. Digital Collections The Hokies were in town to play the Herd. Fr. They stayed in Marshall for a fundraising event. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. [16], Every year, on the anniversary of the crash, the fountain is shut off during a commemorative ceremony and not activated again until the following spring. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshall's Huntington campus. Memorial at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia to the victims of the 1970 plane crash. Roy Slezak refuses to call it an anniversary. Never forget. The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. "Happy" Heath, of Huntington, West Virginia, Elaine Lois Heath, of Huntington, West Virginia, James Jarrell, of Huntington, West Virginia, Cynthia Scott Leslie Jarrell, of Huntington, West Virginia, Kenneth Jones, of Huntington, West Virginia - WHTN-TV sports director, Charles E. Kautz - Athletic director of Marshall University, Eugene J. Morehouse - sports information director, Jeffrey P. Nathan, of Parksburg, West Virginia - sports editor of MU's student newspaper, Dr. Brian R. O'Connor, of Huntington, West Virginia - admissions director of Marshall University, Michael R. Prestera, delegate-elect to the West Virginia Legislature, Dr. Glenn Preston, of Huntington, West Virginia - Local dentist, Phyllis Jean Charles Preston, of Huntington, West Virginia, Dr. Herbert D. Proctor, of Huntington, West Virginia, Courtney Phillips Proctor, of Huntington, West Virginia, Murrill Ralsten, of Huntington, West Virginia - City councilman, Helen Ralsten, of Huntington, West Virginia, Parker Ward, of Huntington, West Virginia, Danny Deese, of Atlanta, Georgia - Charter coordinator, Copyright 2002 Check SixThis page last updated Saturday, August 25, 2018. with questions or comments about this web site. A look at the 1970 Marshall University plane crash - New York Daily News 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Those were diplomas they never had a chance to receive. "All these guys, about 50 of them, came out for football. No one will ever know exactly how Harris Sr. ended up on the plane. I knew as soon as I saw the police car. She feared for his safety. It was a funeral that never stopped. These are some of their stories, 50 years later. [20], On December 11, 2006, a memorial plaque was dedicated at the plane crash site. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. They did care a lot about him. 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. "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. longitude." In the report, the NTSB concluded, "[] the probable cause of this accident was the descent below Minimum Descent Altitude during a nonprecision approach under adverse operating conditions, without visual contact with the runway environment". 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, Some who were left off the flight, did not make the trip or lost loved ones spent the next five decades with crippling questions that had no answers. "Al" Saylor, #88,1970 MU Football team, b&w. The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. > "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. The rest were pilots, crew, coaches, administrators, boosters and business leaders. Tri-State airport installed a glide slope using federal funds in 1972. But that begs the very human question of why God spared him and not those on the plane? "At 21, you haven't been familiar with death. It slipped out from underneath him, according to Dawson, and Oliver hit his head. Smith became the football team's spokesperson at the annual ceremony, where he delivers an annual message to parents, siblings, friends and coworkers of the victims who are still heartbroken by the tragedy that takes them back in time. William Alfred "Red" Dawson was one of the best players Bobby Bowden ever saw. Then success occurred in streaks. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive), "'We Are Marshall' just stuck," Smith said. Frank got the whole team out and they went up and placed that Hokie Stone on the memorial. "Where nobody could see me," Dawson said of his hiding spot. The team originally planned to cancel the flight, but changed plans and chartered the Southern Airways DC-9. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. 10:00 am ET. 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. Charlie Kautz had lived long enough to give away Lucianne at her wedding only five months earlier. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 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 Thundering Herd upset Xavier, 15-13, in an emotional victory for the ages. Although the airport runway has since been lengthened past its original threshold, making historical measurements more difficult, the NTSB official report provides, "the accident occurred during hours of darkness at 38 22' 27" N. latitude and 82 34' 42" W. It was unveiled to thousands 90 minutes before the game with the Miami University RedHawks. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 77 memorials. The dog's name was Sturmisch. Shannon died in the plane crash. Charles Kautz, 1970 MU Athletic Director, b&w. Cemetery Visibility: Public. 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 | 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. 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. . CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegefootball | pageType: stories | 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. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16729709-1']); On the flight, were 37 members of the football team, several coaches, fans and crew members totaling 75. Hill died in the 1970 plane crash. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, at Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. At that time, I thought I was a pretty bad-ass man.". "The town immediately went into mourning. Rick Tolley had helped him with the plane ticket to get back home. 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 became friends and fished together. He has traveled internationally and led huge congregations. He recalled talking at length with some of his counterparts at Wichita State, and how they leaned on each other for support. Two weeks before the release of the movie, Call was diagnosed with colon cancer. Slezak bought a wreath and some rose petals for the crash site and remembers how the store didnt want to let him pay for the items when he said what they were for. Two-and-a-half months ago, Dawson remarried. "Kenova to dedicate crash memorial Monday." Ferrum won the national junior college championship his first year there in 1965. 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. It signified the teams unity as not just a football team, but one family. That's German for "stormy." As part of an annual rite, the fountain was turned off at the end of the service and will be turned back on in the spring. The two played in the same defensive backfield for Virginia Tech in the late 1960s. Sketch is matted and framed. "It was just a little school in the hills," Mary Jane said. Saylor was killed in the plane crash. (AP Photo/John Raby, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news, left behind six children who were being babysat. Charges dropped against Georgia WR Rara Thomas, UCLA, Kelly agree to extension through 2027, Four Pac-12 programs renew contact with Big 12, NCAA committee approves new college football rules, Saban sounds off on proposed permanent opponents. It was an impression he put in her heart. "That was the biggest farce you've ever seen," she said. "I took the phone, but Mrs. Shoebridge was crying hysterically. [4], The NTSB investigated the accident and its final report was issued on April 14, 1972. Following its plane crash, Wichita State was granted similar permission to use freshmen on the varsity to resume its 1970 season. He was the Athletic Director for MU. "I can remember the hurt in my stomach like it was yesterday," Beamer said. [12] Lengyel was named to take Tolley's place on March 12, 1971, after Dick Bestwick, the first choice for the job, backed out after just one week and returned to Georgia Tech. "[7]:36 At least one source says that water that had seeped into the plane's altimeter could have thrown off its height readings, leading the pilots to believe the plane was higher than was actually the case. He said, 'What the hell is going on with Virginia Tech?' 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. "The teammates liked the Tuscaloosa boys unbelievably," Dawson said, "especially when Reggie got there.". Pure chance, some cases. Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda.". [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. Plymale said 64 children lost one or both of their parents in the crash. The actual damage was incalculable. He was the center. They met once a year, Red Dawson and the sycamore tree he picked out that was large enough to hide behind. The NCAA made an exception for the Thundering Herd. He was a linebacker. "You have to realize he had to tell several, several players' families, all the ones that he recruited. Dawson and Parker were buying boiled peanuts at a country store in rural Virginia when they heard the news over the radio. While Wichita State ended its football program in 1986, Marshall carried on. Manifest of Southern Flt 932 - Check-Six Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. College Football Player, Plane Crash Victim. "She was wonderful," Mary Jane Tolley said of Sturmisch. Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. I realized I had been wrong about that.". var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; There is still a hint of that strapping tight end's body. Frank Hall Abbott Jr. 18 Mar 1923 - 14 Nov 1970. > There were 64 children who became orphans after losing one or both parents on the flight. It was raining hard, and he remembered seeing ambulances speeding past the group. On the way down, he realized -- only by the light of a fire -- that the log was actually a body. To be honest, when she told me, I didn't believe her because we had never had a plane trip.". Carter can't recall how a Marshall assistant found his film in the late 1960s. "It made you wretch," Brunner said, "and I did several times.". Rick played football at nearby Virginia Tech. 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. "Nobody did anything. 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. Marshall decided to continue the football program. The bronze 1723 ft (57 m) statue was created by artist Burl Jones of Sissonville, West Virginia, and cost $150,000. Or would he have gotten on the plane himself? Plane Crash Memorial - Special Collections 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. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. Center Dennis Foley (#55) centers ball to Bob Harris (#12) in a scrimmage,1970 MU Football team, b&w.