Defensive back. "We got her when she was 6 weeks old. David Debord, #76, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. When Lengyel was hired as Tolley's replacement, Dawson stayed but only for a while. Former Marshall cheerleader Lucianne Kautz Call lost her father, Charlie E. Kautz, who was the universitys athletic director. So why would anyone living with all that baggage intentionally go up in the air? | About 10 years ago at a reunion, Mary Jane glanced across the room. She would just listen to the game on the radio. | 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. After a year as Wake Forest's defensive line coach, Tolley was hired at Marshall in 1969. Marshall Plane Crash Site Marker. ". 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. We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. That was an overwhelming responsibility.". To this day, she isn't satisfied. Eventually, Rick won over their hearts and minds. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The tragedy was depicted in the movie We Are Marshall (2006) and the documentary film Marshall University: Ashes to Glory (2000). 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. Memorial Fountain on the Marshall University campus, dedicated in 1972. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Or would he have gotten on the plane himself? On Saturday, it will be Middle Tennessee State. New Bern National Cemetery. I just hung up the phone. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and crew of 5. Following its plane crash, Wichita State was granted similar permission to use freshmen on the varsity to resume its 1970 season. I had 75 angels there.". The rebuilding of the football program was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starting Matthew McConaughey. "[7] The remains of six passengers were never identified. There was no playbook, and nobody had been in that position before.". They couldn't see. 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. [25], The events of the crash are documented in an episode of Aircrash Confidential titled "Disastrous Descents".[27]. It was the worst single air tragedy in NCAA sports history. "Kenova to dedicate crash memorial Monday." 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. The airport was not properly equipped. All 75 people on board died. 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. People would come to the house and say this was meant to happen. The rest were pilots, crew, coaches, administrators, boosters and business leaders. 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 . Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options? 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. I realized I had been wrong about that.". No one could have imagined how deep a downward spiral Marshall University's football program would face in the late 1960's. Spring Hill Cemetery, site of the Marshall Memorial for the 75 plane crash victims. "He had a great future in front of him. The two didn't get along, according to Dawson. Dawson eventually became a successful construction company owner. He returned to find a city, a university and a program in despair. Three-and-a-half years after the crash in 1974, Carter was working with Carl Hewlett, a former Marshall pitcher. That game did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This goes deep, Plymale said. He was also the offensive line coach. The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. 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. Private. All six players would later be put to rest underground at the Spring Hill Cemetery just near Marshall University. The two had breakfast together and talked for hours. Southern Airways DC-9, similiar to plane that crashed with MU footballt team, col. (low-res digital image only). (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Wayne County Democratic Sen. Robert Plymale was 15 at the time and was with friends in Kenova, near the airport. "Bobby got this corona[virus] thing and beat it.". The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. On Saturday, 75 candles surrounded the fountain. Because of the intensity of the crash, officials were unable to identify six of the players remains. As a memorial to the 75 victims, the Marshall players wore the number 75 on their helmets. The event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever measure time before or after The Crash. ". One day, the wife of the head coach was in class. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshalls Huntington campus. His football will didn't come back quickly, but something has changed over the years. This is believed to be a duplicate of the plane that crashed Nov. 14, 1970 carrying MU football team. The late Jack Hardin, then a Huntington Herald-Dispatch reporter, once recalled stepping over a log on his way up the hill to cover the story. Sturmisch lived to be 13. Its an inspiring tribute to those fallen lives and the devoted men who led Marshall back to glory. 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. Charles A. The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. 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. Dawson and Parker were buying boiled peanuts at a country store in rural Virginia when they heard the news over the radio. [4], The NTSB investigated the accident and its final report was issued on April 14, 1972. 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. This is not what you wanted to hear. Loria had been a two-time All-American at Virginia Tech. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . 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 University's football team. Patricia Smith was adopted and eventually, after exhaustive research, tracked down the identity of her father at age 30. It is the center of activity of the campus. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda.". 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. Without any particular reason, Carter stayed. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5. . The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. "My wonder was, 'Why? Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing. 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. Across the nation, many expressed their condolences. All Rights Reserved. Seventy children had at least one parent die in the crash, with 18 of them left orphaned. All were on the travel squad list before the plane crash. She went to the premiere in a wheelchair prior to her first chemotherapy treatment. Dawson hopes it goes as well as last year. Charles Kautz, 1970 MU Athletic Director, b&w. She spoke of her husband's early days as an assistant at Ferrum Junior College in Virginia. Charles Kautz is third from right, with tie. 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 . . The Lord watched over me so that he could save me and put me in the ministry to serve him.". 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. After suffering the loss to East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970, a majority of the Marshall team boarded Southern Airlines Flight 932. We Are Marshall.. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. Prior to the state Senates unanimous vote Wednesday, the chamber held a moment of silence for the crash victims at the request of Upshur County Republican Sen. Bill Hamilton. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. College Football Player, Plane Crash Victim. "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". 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. December 10, 2006 Herald-Dispatch [Huntington]. Roy Slezak refuses to call it an anniversary. The bronze 1723 ft (57 m) statue was created by artist Burl Jones of Sissonville, West Virginia, and cost $150,000. "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. It was raining hard, and he remembered seeing ambulances speeding past the group. He said, No, you keep your commitment, that is what you do, there will be other games, Slezak said. It really sort of shapes the fiber in you, of what you are.. The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. 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 had to rent a car to get to the game,then asked if there were seats on the plane to get back to Marshall. 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, Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. Her life had become unhinged. There were injured players who stayed behind. var _gaq = _gaq || []; Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. 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. > 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. "God has a time for each one of us," Carter said. The subsequent negotiations resulted in a reduction of the weight of passengers and baggage and the charter flight was scheduled. Digitized University Archives Collections Im glad that were going to honor them for each year in this way from here on out.. The crew established radio contact with air traffic controllers at 7:23 pm with instructions to descend to 5,000ft (1,500m). It was an impression he put in her heart. Digitized University Archives Collections. He was a linebacker. I try to think about all the good times and the memories we made, Slezak said. Parker flew to the game, but did not fly back, having switched places with Deke Brackett, another coach. MU plane crash historical marker, Wayne County, W.Va., col. (low-res digital image only). I'll be right over.' 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. Head coach Rick Tolley was among the crash victims. Virginia Tech's coach had a plan for the pregame. In the days before instant news, the fog of tragedy took time to lift. 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. Its still considered the worst air disaster in American sports history. "At 1 o'clock in the morning, a detective came to the door. They even won a couple of games. The NCAA granted Marshall permission to use freshmen on the varsity squad, something which was not allowed at the time. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They all had said great things about him. He became acting head coach in 1971, and formed the "Young Thundering Herd". With 37 players gone due to the horrific tragedy, the NCAA allowed Marshalls freshmen players to suit up the next season. So I think this is another step along in that healing process., FILE - A memorial plaque is displayed at the site of a 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people, including 36 Marshall football players, on Oct. 24, 2020, near Huntington, W.Va. A bill has won final legislative approval Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in West Virginia, that would establish an annual day of recognition for the worst sports disaster in U.S. history. Her recollections of the crash's aftermath are split. 1970 Crash Victims. I don't think I believed it.. 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. All 75 passengers on the team plane were killed in the crash, including 37 members of the Marshall University football team, eight football coaches, including head coach Rick Tolley, athletic director Charlie Kautz, 25 boosters and five flight crew members. Frank Loria is third from left. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. "The teammates liked the Tuscaloosa boys unbelievably," Dawson said, "especially when Reggie got there.". 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; About 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.