The flight shouldve been nothing more than a formality, but the team would never reach their destination back in Huntington. [4] The following Saturday, another memorial service was held at the outdoor, 18,000-seat Fairfield Stadium. [4], The NTSB investigated the accident and its final report was issued on April 14, 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 never wanted to miss a chance to see Art play.. [25], The events of the crash are documented in an episode of Aircrash Confidential titled "Disastrous Descents".[27]. The town died. 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. Tottenham Hotspur players observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash involving the Brazilian club Chapecoense prior to the Premier. 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. The aircraft "dipped to the right, almost inverted, and had crashed into a hollow 'nose-first'". Parker flew to the game, but did not fly back, having switched places with Deke Brackett, another coach. She spoke of her husband's early days as an assistant at Ferrum Junior College in Virginia. "He definitely had pro potential, no question," formerPassaiccoach John Federici, told The Record in 2001. They did care a lot about him. Huntington, WV 25755. That bitterness lingered. [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. One year later, the unthinkable happened. While in the air, the plane struck a tree on a tall hill and crashed to the ground. After the plane crash, she became the only thing that I had.". Charles Kautz, 1970 MU Athletic Director, b&w. Former Marshall cheerleader Lucianne Kautz Call lost her father, Charlie E. Kautz, who was the universitys athletic director. No one prepared her for what was next. Back rfeads: 1st MU practice Spring 1971, Coach Red Dawson. 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. [2], The original proposal to charter the flight was refused because it would exceed "the takeoff limitations of their aircraft". Police reported a few hours after the crash that "15 bodies had been recovered," but the fire was so intense that they were unable to get into the plane to examine further, The News wrote that year. Loria became Marshall's defensive backs coach in 1970. Marshall Plane Crash Site Marker. Her life had become unhinged. The event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever . "He said: 'Your husband is in the plane, too.' William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Acting Head Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd MU Football team, 1st spring practice, April 1971, b&w. Every one of the 75 people on board died in the crash. ". The two had breakfast together and talked for hours. The team originally planned to cancel the flight, but changed plans and chartered the Southern Airways DC-9. The two didn't get along, according to Dawson. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. That game did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Middle guard Ed Carter was back in Wichita Falls, Texas, that terrible day to bury his father. Tri-State airport installed a glide slope using federal funds in 1972. It was a rainy night. "Apparently, it was time God saw fit to call them.". _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16729709-1']); Marshall plane crash was 50 years ago; victim's friend can't forget "I can remember the hurt in my stomach like it was yesterday," Beamer said. Southern Airways Flight 932 was a chartered Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 domestic United States commercial jet flight from Stallings Field (ISO) in Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS) near Kenova and Ceredo, West Virginia. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. "Anniversaries are supposed to be happy," Slezak said . "At 1 o'clock in the morning, a detective came to the door. That included 37 Marshall football players, 25 team boosters, multiple coaches and team doctors, and Marshalls athletic director. The NCAA repealed that prohibition at its annual convention in January 1972. "I took the phone, but Mrs. Shoebridge was crying hysterically. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Im glad that were going to honor them for each year in this way from here on out.. Mary Jane eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. The Mid-American Conference also expelled the team for similar offenses. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5. . Marshall's defensive coordinator did not return home with the team. Plymale said 64 children lost one or both of their parents in the crash. The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. 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. No one could have imagined how deep a downward spiral Marshall University's football program would face in the late 1960's. Slezak went to visit Marshall in 2011, saying it was on his bucket list. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and crew of 5. Wichita Falls is 1,100 miles from Huntington. Offering Aviation History & Adventure First-Hand! December 10, 2006 Herald-Dispatch [Huntington]. This goes deep, Plymale said. This time, they decided if all couldn't go, none of them could go. The crash was the worst in American sports history. About 128 Marshall Plane Crash Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 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. Carter hardly knew anyone on the team who carried on. Carelli was killed in the Mu plane crash. Insurance agents were annoying. Copyright. He went recruiting. Dawson and Parker were buying boiled peanuts at a country store in rural Virginia when they heard the news over the radio. New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, USA . 50 Years After: Remembering Marshall University's 1970 Plane Crash Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. 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". 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. > Gallery: Victims of the 1970 Marshall Plane Crash So why would anyone living with all that baggage intentionally go up in the air? Harris Sr. told Slezak he had to keep his promises. Dennis Foley was not on the plane, Bob Harris was killed in the plane crash. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. She would just listen to the game on the radio. The crash took the lives of everyone on board -- the pilot, the first officer, two flight attendants, the charter coordinator, 24 Marshall University football fans, nine coaches and 37 players. Tragedy struck Marshall University more than a half-century ago, when most of the school's football program was involved in a plane crash . 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. 1. Marshall is ranked No. He was well-liked by his teammates not a rah-rah kid, but one who led by example.". "The Lord has been good to me," he concluded. Her recollections of the crash's aftermath are split. All were qualified for the flight. "'The phrase is about respect, and it makes you realize you can't take anything for granted. The 6500 lb, 13 ft-high (2900 kg, 4 m-high) sculpture was completed within a year and a half. The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. Rick Tolley had helped him with the plane ticket to get back home. But that begs the very human question of why God spared him and not those on the plane? On November 14, 1970, the team was flying back from a game against East Carolina. We Are Marshall.. I made a promise to Mrs. Harris that he would never be forgotten.. Things were going swimmingly two weeks before the East Carolina game. Center Dennis Foley (#55) centers ball to Bob Harris (#12) in a scrimmage,1970 MU Football team, b&w. A bunch of her husband's former linemen were lining the walls of her living room. Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. She went to the premiere in a wheelchair prior to her first chemotherapy treatment. Sturmisch lived to be 13. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. Sometimes Gilbert -- Marshall's president -- comes over for a couple of beers. This college football 1970s season article is a stub. The opponent was scheduled to be East Carolinathe same team that defeated Marshall before the disaster took place. "It was something the Lord gave her to tell me," Carter said. Patient as an elementary school teacher but also unrelenting. ", "I just generally felt we lost a great Hokie that day," Beamer said. Those were diplomas they never had a chance to receive. Football made sense to him.". "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. 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. The rest were pilots, crew, coaches, administrators, boosters and business leaders. One John Marshall Drive, Body unidentified and buried with five other unidentified players in Spring Hill Cemetery. > 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. By JOHN RABY February 15, 2023. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); Beamer had brought a special Hokie Stone inscribed with Loria's name. February 15, 2023, 10:43 AM. Instead, the descent continued for another 300ft (91m) for unknown reasons, apparently without either crew member actually seeing the airport lights or runway. We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. Art was All-State, he was sought out by every major college on the East Coast, Slezak remembered. [5] The accident is the deadliest tragedy to have affected any sports team in U.S. 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). Marshall decided to continue the football program. "For years, it was just a total devastating thing," Call said. Libraries He and the sycamore have aged well. On November 14, 1970 a DC-9 airliner carrying the Marshall University football team, coaches, and supporters crashed on final approach to Tri-State Airport n. 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. Beamer was at his wife-to-be's home that November night. "All these guys, about 50 of them, came out for football. })(); (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash"). Dawson goes to games again. "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". Couldn't keep my voice straight. But the town came back.. Charles Kautz, MU A/D and coaches, 1970 MU football team, b&w. Hamrick's future wife, Soletta, was in Mary Jane's sixth-grade home room back then. "Just a very smart guy. I'll be right over.' In its second season under head coach Rick Tolley . 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. Forty years from the time they had last seen each other -- the day before the crash -- the teacher saw the student and asked, "Soletta, is that you?". His body could not be identified, and with five other players, they were all buried. [23] The tribute was repeated for the rest of the season, including when Marshall met Rice in the 2013 Conference USA Football Championship game. I try to think about all the good times and the memories we made, Slezak said. 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. A sign of renewed life. 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. Saylor was killed in the plane crash. Then success occurred in streaks. Reggie Oliver was an outgoing quarterback who eventually made his way into the Marshall hall of fame. The NCAA granted Marshall permission to use freshmen on the varsity squad, something which was not allowed at the time. The report additionally notes, "Most of the fuselage was melted or reduced to a powder-like substance; however, several large pieces were scattered throughout the burned area. 00:00 / 00:00. Mary Jane Tolley didn't go because the local veterinarian recommended she stay because the couple's dog was sick. The Tolleys loved their German Shepherd. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . 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 . 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 November 12, 1972, the Memorial Fountain was dedicated at the entrance of the Memorial Student Center. A look at the 1970 Marshall University plane crash - New York Daily News (JACK BURNETT/AP), "We carry on the legacy for them, but even after all those who were personally connected are gone, those guys still deserve to be remembered because it's just a travesty, what happened. Fifty-two years ago, Huntington, West Virginia, was home to what has been called the worst disaster in United States sports history. Following its plane crash, Wichita State was granted similar permission to use freshmen on the varsity to resume its 1970 season. Frank Loria is third from left. Among the losses were nearly the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, flight crew, numerous fans, and supporters. It signified the teams unity as not just a football team, but one family. New Bern National Cemetery. All six players would later be put to rest underground at the Spring Hill Cemetery just near Marshall University. . Its still considered the worst air disaster in American sports history. "I'm sure you can pretty much figure that one out," said Mary Jane Tolley, wife of head coach Rick Tolley, who died in the crash. I knew as soon as I saw the police car. "I kept thinking he [Arthur Sr.] would drive up in the car," said Maja Harris, Art Jr.s mother and Art Sr.s wife. 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. The corresponding flight recorder shows that the craft descended another 220ft (67m) in elevation within these 12 seconds, and the co-pilot calls out "four hundred" and agrees with the pilot they are on the correct "approach." "There are a ton of people out there still hurting and still in pain and still every day of their lives, as soon as their eyes open in the morning, that's the first thing they think about because their 18 year-old son was killed," Smith said. Among the losses were nearly the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, flight crew, numerous fans, and supporters. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshall's Huntington campus. It all began with a three-year long losing streak from season 1966-69. Not surprisingly, Call will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's memorial. "They were all crying, all these huge linemen," Mary Jane said. "Couldn't keep the tears out of my eyes. "He didn't tell anyone what he was going to do until the last minute," Hamrick 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. He was like a sounding board.". The aircraft began its normal descent after passing the outer marker, but did not arrest its descent and hold altitude at 1,240ft (380m), as required by the assigned instrument approach procedure. 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. He was 37. Head coach Rick Tolley was among the crash victims. "[7] The remains of six passengers were never identified. Its an inspiring tribute to those fallen lives and the devoted men who led Marshall back to glory. Normally in that situation, the cheerleaders would draw straws to see who went. From there, he could see them talk, cry, even reminisce about the largest air disaster in United States sports history. Not only that, she happened to be on a flight during 9/11. Near Huntington, West Virginia. The 1970 Marshall University Football Team Plane Crash W.Va. State historical marker 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. That was the era before the color barrier had been broken in the SEC. We didn't have children, so she was like a child. The Thundering Herd upset Xavier, 15-13, in an emotional victory for the ages. Bobby Joe Hill, #41,1970 MU Football team, b&w. Marshall University Plane Crash Memorial Skeens was killed in the plane crash. "You couldn't count on it," Dawson said. The team and residents of the town still gather together every year in memorial of the fallen fellows. The co-pilot, monitoring the altimeter, called out, "It's beginning to lighten up a little bit on the ground here at seven hundred feet We're two hundred above [the descent vector]," and the charter coordinator replied, "Bet it'll be a missed approach." David Debord, #76, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Griffith died in the 1970 plane crash. Virginia Tech's coach had a plan for the pregame. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. To be honest, when she told me, I didn't believe her because we had never had a plane trip.". Page of 4. Shortly thereafter, he surrendered his life to Christ. "I was wondering when somebody is going to come up and say, 'You can't do that,' " Dawson said. 2023 Marshall University. "The Young Herd" that carried on in 1971 had a new coach, Jack Lengyel. "It wasn't losing faith," she said. Gone were sons, fathers, mothers, classmates and fraternity brothers. [2][7] The plane burst into flames and created a swath of charred ground 95ft (29m) wide and 279ft (85m) long. It is based upon ideas by John and Ann Krieger of Huntington. He was the Athletic Director for MU. But as a freshman in 1970, Oliver didn't travel. [21], November 14, 2013, marked the first time that Marshall had played a road game on an anniversary of the disaster. I dont know what to call it.. "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. Most of his teammates were gone, forever. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. At that time, I thought I was a pretty bad-ass man.". (AP Photo/John Raby, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news, left behind six children who were being babysat. history.[6]. "People still talk about that," Hamrick said. "He was a tremendous athlete who could do it all. All Rights Reserved. "I asked her many, many times [why she urged him to stay] before she passed," Carter said. During that ceremony, Gilbert spoke eloquently about the 75 souls again. Charles A. All were on the travel squad list before the plane crash. The rebuilding of the football program was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starting Matthew McConaughey. Sort By. She graduated from Marshall in 1971. 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. In the following weeks, Lengyel was aided in his attempts by receivers' coach Red Dawson. The college town agreed with him. Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. 77 memorials. In 2000, at age 50, Call became a flight attendant with USAir Express. They became friends and fished together. That begins to describe some of that enduring guilt. The bill establishes that Nov. 14 will become a special memorial day in remembrance of the crash. 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. Of course, she misses her husband. They had met in Roanoke, Virginia, where she taught. Without an official designation, she has become the best historian of the events of 50 years ago. The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. 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. Scott would call up and say, 'Any time you want to call, you call me night or day. "It was horrible because it was a non-ending funeral. At age 69, the former Marshall defender calls himself a "traveling preacher."