Harris Sr. told Slezak he had to keep his promises. The Druid Four did and were all killed in the crash. He was like a sounding board.". _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16729709-1']); Varsity Aces Live: Marshall Football Plane Crash 50th Anniversary. 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. We'll look at what happened to the Marshall University football program as a . Art Harris, #22, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. Things were going swimmingly two weeks before the East Carolina game. Kautz died in the 1970 plane crash. The plane descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude, striking trees on a hillside about one mile from the runway. "I always loved to fly," she said. His life was spared that night a half century ago. But as a freshman in 1970, Oliver didn't travel. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. They left behind six children who were being babysat by Dan DAntoni, a 23-year-old assistant with the Marshall basketball program in 1970. There were injured players who stayed behind. Suddenly, then-Lucianne Kautz was without a father. She never could explain it other than saying God had spoken to her. 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. It was unveiled to thousands 90 minutes before the game with the Miami University RedHawks. "Bobby got this corona[virus] thing and beat it.". Special Collections The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5. . He hid because they met once a year at the Spring Hill Cemetery memorial that honors the 75 souls who perished in the crash of the Marshall University football team plane 50 years ago this Saturday. history". In 2000, at age 50, Call became a flight attendant with USAir Express. Prior to the state Senate's unanimous vote Wednesday, the chamber held a moment of silence for the crash victims at . Marshall football plane crash was 50 years ago, but victim's friend can't forget that day. "Just a very smart guy. We Are Marshall starred Matthew McConaughey as Jack Lengyel, the head coach who took over the program in 1971. [10], The crash of Flight 932 so devastated the local community that it almost led to the discontinuation of Marshall's football program. 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 House of Delegates passed the bill last month. [4][9], The effects of the crash on Huntington went far beyond the Marshall campus. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Yolanda Shoebridge, the mother ofTed Shoebridge, called the Harris home on Linden Street. "For years, it was just a total devastating thing," Call said. If her husband was too hard-nosed or too tough, those notions were dispelled in the days after her world was turned upside down. David Debord, #76, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. But that begs the very human question of why God spared him and not those on the plane? An Equal Opportunity University. It was real big-time negligence. Mary Jane was persistent. 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. Digitized University Archives Collections On November 14, Southern Airways Flight 932, which was chartered by the school to fly the Thundering Herd football team, coaches, and fans to Kinston, North Carolina for a game against the East Carolina Pirates and back to Huntington, crashed on approach to Tri-State Airport after clipping trees just west of the runway and impacting nose-first into a hollow. They became friends and fished together. Its an inspiring tribute to those fallen lives and the devoted men who led Marshall back to glory. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "I didn't do anything except for fishing, hunting and construction work," he said. | 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 Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . "People still talk about that," Hamrick said. "Kenova to dedicate crash memorial Monday." She would just listen to the game on the radio. 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. He hid behind that sycamore each Nov. 14 for 20 years or so afterward because it hid him from the speeches, the families, the orphans, maybe his own remorse. Not only that, she happened to be on a flight during 9/11. Carter will be thinking about "thanking the Lord for his grace and mercy, watching over me and sparing my life." Middle guard Ed Carter was back in Wichita Falls, Texas, that terrible day to bury his father. 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. 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. Caption on back reads: "Saturday Nov. 14, 1970. 1970 Marshall Thundering Herd football team, 1970 NCAA University Division independents football records, 1970 NCAA University Division football season, "Memories of Marshall; ex-player says shock of crash never ends", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1970_Marshall_Thundering_Herd_football_team&oldid=1109112752, 1970 NCAA University Division independents football season, Marshall Thundering Herd football seasons, Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using CFB schedule with named parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 September 2022, at 01:19. Carelli was killed in the Mu plane crash. Lives were shattered. Sometimes Gilbert -- Marshall's president -- comes over for a couple of beers. In the teams first home game since the plane crash, Marshall put together one of the most inspiring performances in sports history. 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. Then success occurred in streaks. The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. One day, the wife of the head coach was in class. Marshall decided to continue the football program. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. MU plane crash historical marker, Wayne County, W.Va., col. (low-res digital image only). It was an impression he put in her heart. On the 50th anniversary, they're both still around. This is not what you wanted to hear. On November 14, 1970, the team was flying back from a game against East Carolina. "Straightforward, old time" is how Dawson described him. Gone were sons, fathers, mothers, classmates and fraternity brothers. Red Dawson was admittedly bitter. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. Dennis Foley was not on the plane, Bob Harris was killed in the plane crash. Tottenham Hotspur players observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash involving the Brazilian club Chapecoense prior to the Premier. 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). "At 21, you haven't been familiar with death. Marshall is ranked No. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing. The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. The NCAA repealed that prohibition at its annual convention in January 1972. "[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. "I took the phone, but Mrs. Shoebridge was crying hysterically. | They all had said great things about him. "The Lord has been good to me," he concluded. "I got a call from our operations guy. var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; In the days before instant news, the fog of tragedy took time to lift. Charlie Kautz was Marshall's athletic director in 1970. She spoke of her husband's early days as an assistant at Ferrum Junior College in Virginia. She traveled to Washington, D.C. for the hearings that were supposed to explain the crash. Across the nation, many expressed their condolences. Two years ago, Oliver, the personable quarterback, leaned back in a chair. By JOHN RABY February 15, 2023. . If you play football at Marshall University, you have a role to make sure that's never forgotten.". Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options? "Apparently, it was time God saw fit to call them.". [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]. He was also the offensive line coach. Hamrick's future wife, Soletta, was in Mary Jane's sixth-grade home room back then. Holliday wants to make a date to come out and hunt turkeys on Dawson's 400 acres outside of town. "We stayed friends forever," Dawson said proudly. - The Yeti Airlines flight with 68. 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". 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 77 memorials. [18], Each year on the anniversary of the crash, those who died are mourned in a ceremony on the Marshall University campus in Huntington, West Virginia. The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. It was the worst single air tragedy in NCAA sports history. 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. Dawson was retained by Tolley. They did care a lot about him. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Wichita Falls is 1,100 miles from Huntington. "Al" Saylor, #88,1970 MU Football team, b&w. That begins to describe some of that enduring guilt. The Mid-American Conference also expelled the team for similar offenses. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive), "'We Are Marshall' just stuck," Smith said. With 37 players gone due to the horrific tragedy, the NCAA allowed Marshalls freshmen players to suit up the next season. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Mary Jane Tolley didn't go because the local veterinarian recommended she stay because the couple's dog was sick. The bronze 1723 ft (57 m) statue was created by artist Burl Jones of Sissonville, West Virginia, and cost $150,000. Among the losses were nearly the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, flight crew, numerous fans, and supporters. [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. That included 37 Marshall football players, 25 team boosters, multiple coaches and team doctors, and Marshalls athletic director. No one prepared her for what was next. (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash") November 14th, 1970. It was a rainy night. > 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 Unexpected Death of University of Connecticut Football Player Jasper Howard. ". That was the era before the color barrier had been broken in the SEC. [1][2], The plane was carrying 37 members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, eight members of the coaching staff, 25 boosters, two pilots, two flight attendants, and a charter coordinator. He said, No, you keep your commitment, that is what you do, there will be other games, Slezak said. Marshall University. [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. February 15, 2023, 10:43 AM. Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C.". 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 rebuilding was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starring Matthew McConaughey as Lengyel. Druid High School football players sign grants-in-aid with Marshall in the spring of 1969. Among them were Dr. Ray Hagley, who was a Marshall team physician, and his wife. Plymales mother attended a funeral in North Carolina, and her family became close friends with the victims family. Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. Not surprisingly, Call will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's memorial. 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. "They were all crying, all these huge linemen," Mary Jane said. No one will ever know exactly how Harris Sr. ended up on the plane. "It wasn't losing faith," she said. Football made sense to him.". He makes sure the Herd have a home game. Former Marshall cheerleader Lucianne Kautz Call lost her father, Charlie E. Kautz, who was the universitys athletic director. 10:00 am ET. The two played in the same defensive backfield for Virginia Tech in the late 1960s. Authorities continually brought "old charred things" to her hoping to gain the identity of victims. Insurance agents were annoying. 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. 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. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. "He said: 'Your husband is in the plane, too.' They met once a year, Red Dawson and the sycamore tree he picked out that was large enough to hide behind. He was the center. 2023 Marshall University. Marshall decided to continue the football program. The ceremony was held by invitation-only due to the coronavirus pandemic and was made available online. Four of the crash victims were students in her class, and Marshall faculty were sent to attend the funerals. Back rfeads: 1st MU practice Spring 1971, Coach Red Dawson. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Yes, we grieve. The town died. 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. 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 . "The reason it's survivor's guilt is because so many people changed their mind at the last minute," Call said. Dawson hopes it goes as well as last year. [15], Marshall University President John G. Barker and Vice President Dedmon appointed a memorial committee soon after the crash. In 1968, Dawson was hired by new Marshall coach Perry Moss as defensive coordinator. Among the losses were nearly the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, flight crew, numerous fans, and supporters. He became acting head coach in 1971, and formed the "Young Thundering Herd". Charles Kautz, 1970 MU Athletic Director, b&w. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. "They were just so wonderful. | [23] The tribute was repeated for the rest of the season, including when Marshall met Rice in the 2013 Conference USA Football Championship game. "God is your pilot. ", "I just generally felt we lost a great Hokie that day," Beamer said. NFL player and Marshall alum Joseph "Lee" Smith, told buffalobills.com that at one point, there would "never be another football team" at Marshall following the devastation the town faced. "Nobody did anything. Plymale said his mother was a professor at Marshall. Patricia Smith was adopted and eventually, after exhaustive research, tracked down the identity of her father at age 30. 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 football quickly drained from him after the crash. After a year as Wake Forest's defensive line coach, Tolley was hired at Marshall in 1969. Charles Kautz is third from right, with tie. The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. He returned to find a city, a university and a program in despair. "It was losing faith in these ministers. There was room for only a few of them on the plane to Kinston, North Carolina. From that moment, we became one family.. "It made you wretch," Brunner said, "and I did several times.". Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. His football will didn't come back quickly, but something has changed over the years. The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. Tragedy struck Marshall University more than a half-century ago, when most of the school's football program was involved in a plane crash . He was well-liked by his teammates not a rah-rah kid, but one who led by example.". Yes, we hurt, Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick said. They had met in Roanoke, Virginia, where she taught. This event taught me how to celebrate someones life. 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 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. Shannon died in the plane crash. As part of an annual rite, the . Page 1. "My mom got on the phone, and then she just passed out, said Carolyn Harris, the youngest daughter. "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. He was the offensive tackle. 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. Her flight made it safely back to that same Tri-State Airport the Marshall plane never reached. All were on the travel squad list before the plane crash. Or would he have gotten on the plane himself? Loria had been a two-time All-American at Virginia Tech. "My wonder was, 'Why? He was 37. We Are Marshall.. Its not an anniversary, but its a day to remember. [4] The following Saturday, another memorial service was held at the outdoor, 18,000-seat Fairfield Stadium. 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. Mary Jane eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia. "You couldn't count on it," Dawson said. I had 75 angels there.". All 75 people on board died. "We'd always rode buses.". Hewlett gave Carter a pamphlet titled, "Steps To Peace With God." Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. "I believe I want to be buried up there with my boys," Dawson said. Back in 1970, he had already attended a pair of Marshall games with Harris Sr. (Huntington, W.Va. is about a nine-hour drive from Passaic) and was approached to go down to see the Thundering Herd play East Carolina. I try to think about all the good times and the memories we made, Slezak said. Marshall coach Doc Holliday invited him to speak to the team. In the following weeks, Lengyel was aided in his attempts by receivers' coach Red Dawson. "Oh sure, you ask yourself, 'Why did I miss it and all my friends and coaches were killed?' Never defeated. Rick Tolley had helped him with the plane ticket to get back home. Scott Jenkins. He was a linebacker. Marshall won just two games, and the first winning season didnt come for another 13 years. Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. I didn't know what to do. He went recruiting. Art Shannon, #34, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. 16 and undefeated at 6-0. They couldn't see. After the plane crash, she became the only thing that I had.". The airport was not properly equipped. Those were diplomas they never had a chance to receive. The tragedy was depicted in the movie We Are Marshall (2006) and the documentary film Marshall University: Ashes to Glory (2000). He has accomplished that goal. > William Alfred "Red" Dawson was one of the best players Bobby Bowden ever saw. Anniversaries are supposed to be happy, Slezak said from his home in New Mexico. 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. On the way down, he realized -- only by the light of a fire -- that the log was actually a body. I never wanted to miss a chance to see Art play.. When he passed, Loria's wife was pregnant with Frank Loria Jr. Beamer guided the buses to the memorial. Huntington, WV 25755. Tolley gladly gave Carter time off -- even bought him the plane ticket -- to travel back to bury his father. About 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. 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. Instead, the descent continued for another 300ft (91m) for unknown reasons, apparently without either crew member actually seeing the airport lights or runway. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. [2], The original proposal to charter the flight was refused because it would exceed "the takeoff limitations of their aircraft". "You sissy," Dawson said. Following its plane crash, Wichita State was granted similar permission to use freshmen on the varsity to resume its 1970 season. Among those in the fountain audience were four football players from East Carolina who played in that 1970 game. After suffering the loss to East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970, a majority of the Marshall team boarded Southern Airlines Flight 932. Carter hardly knew anyone on the team who carried on. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. It was donated to the university by Marshall fans and is attached to Joan C. Edwards Stadium on the west faade. 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. 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].