There were 64 children who became orphans after losing one or both parents on the flight. Jack Lengyel was hired as the new coach in 1971. Memorial at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia to the victims of the 1970 plane crash. "The teammates liked the Tuscaloosa boys unbelievably," Dawson said, "especially when Reggie got there.". 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. That's German for "stormy." > They did care a lot about him. I never wanted to miss a chance to see Art play.. Not only that, she happened to be on a flight during 9/11. "For a long time, he couldn't handle it," Call said. One day, the wife of the head coach was in class. The town died. Because of the intensity of the crash, officials were unable to identify six of the players remains. Head coach Rick Tolley was among the crash victims. A travesty.". Shops and government offices closed; businesses on the town's main street draped their windows in black bunting," History.com reported. 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. He was the Athletic Director for MU. 00:00 / 00:00. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); . It's more than that, of course. 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). Al Carelli, Jr., Assistant coach, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. A memorial bell tower is being planned for a location on WV 75 near exit 1 along Interstate 64. [19], On November 11, 2000, the We Are Marshall Memorial Bronze was dedicated. That bitterness lingered. There were injured players who stayed behind. 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. 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. In fact, it was stronger than that. Among the losses were nearly the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, flight crew, numerous fans, and supporters. 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. Charles A. 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. Memorial Fountain on the Marshall University campus, dedicated in 1972. The NCAA repealed that prohibition at its annual convention in January 1972. 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. 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. "It was losing faith in these ministers. People would come to the house and say this was meant to happen. According to the official National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, the accident was "unsurvivable". All except team chaplain Robert Scott. The aircraft "dipped to the right, almost inverted, and had crashed into a hollow 'nose-first'". A plaque was placed on the base on August 10, 1973, reading: They shall live on in the hearts of their families and friends forever and this memorial records their loss to the university and the community. This is not what you wanted to hear. But when the town got together, they decided to continue the team's tradition in remembrance of the loved ones lost on that 1970 night. Rick Tolley is behind him. "It was not a premonition. The airport was not properly equipped. "She was wonderful," Mary Jane Tolley said of Sturmisch. 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. Yolanda Shoebridge, the mother ofTed Shoebridge, called the Harris home on Linden Street. [4] The following Saturday, another memorial service was held at the outdoor, 18,000-seat Fairfield Stadium. I'll be right over.' All three were killed in the plane crash. Offering Aviation History & Adventure First-Hand! It is based upon ideas by John and Ann Krieger of Huntington. 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. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Charlie Kautz was Marshall's athletic director in 1970. We each lost one or more family members, said Call, the ceremonys keynote speaker. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. It was real big-time negligence. "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. Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. Football made sense to him.". The bronze 1723 ft (57 m) statue was created by artist Burl Jones of Sissonville, West Virginia, and cost $150,000. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing. He played Defensive end. Dawson was not on the plane when it crashed. White roses were laid by the fountain as each victims name was read at the ceremony. [13][14], The Marshall University football team only won two games during the 1971 season, against Xavier and Bowling Green. That day nine years ago, "Frank Beamer became a very special person in my mind," Hamrick said. 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. "Red," Call said recently, "where you going to be buried?". (JACK BURNETT/AP) Never defeated. Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. There is already a plot there for one more. It was raining hard, and he remembered seeing ambulances speeding past the group. [15], Marshall University President John G. Barker and Vice President Dedmon appointed a memorial committee soon after the crash. Dave Griffith, #81, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Once again, on Saturday, Dawson will speak at the fountain ceremony. When he passed, Loria's wife was pregnant with Frank Loria Jr. Beamer guided the buses to the memorial. I realized I had been wrong about that.". Southern Airways DC-9, similiar to plane that crashed with MU footballt team, col. (low-res digital image only). Rick Tolley had helped him with the plane ticket to get back home. "Kenova to dedicate crash memorial Monday." Slezak went to visit Marshall in 2011, saying it was on his bucket list. [3] The team was returning home after a 1714 loss to the East Carolina Pirates at Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina. An Equal Opportunity University. If her husband was too hard-nosed or too tough, those notions were dispelled in the days after her world was turned upside down. Sometimes Gilbert -- Marshall's president -- comes over for a couple of beers. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The Flight Crew of Southern Airways Flight 932: Captain Frank H. Abbott, Jr. , aged 47, was employed by Southern Airways, Inc., on July 21, 1949. Authorities continually brought "old charred things" to her hoping to gain the identity of victims. 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. Lucianne Call hasn't lost much of her cheerleading enthusiasm. [24], Marshall was scheduled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the air disaster in their football season opener on August 29, 2020. The Tolleys loved their German Shepherd. The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. Hamrick's future wife, Soletta, was in Mary Jane's sixth-grade home room back then. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. If he had gone with Art Sr., would they have made the same mistake or would they have flown to the correct city? "Just a very smart guy. 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. When it came time to return, Carter's mother Sarah urged him to stay at home. "I'm still wondering why.". Later in the season, Marshall also upset Bowling Green State, 12-10. February 15, 2023, 10:43 AM. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. "My mom got on the phone, and then she just passed out, said Carolyn Harris, the youngest daughter. The Marshall football team tragedy remains one of the saddest sports stories of all time. Charlie Kautz had lived long enough to give away Lucianne at her wedding only five months earlier. Sketch titled "America Weeps, Saturday Nov. 14, 1970." The NCAA granted Marshall permission to use freshmen on the varsity squad, something which was not allowed at the time. College Football Player, Plane Crash Victim. Seventy children had at least one parent die in the crash, with 18 of them left orphaned. He has followed Marshall football all his lifeand makes a video tribute for his friend every year. The tragedy shocked the town of Huntington in the worst way imaginable. 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.