The 1970 Marshall University Football Team Plane Crash "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. To this day, she isn't satisfied. Never defeated. 1970 aviation accident in West Virginia, United States, A Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident, Pinkston, Antwon. 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. He recalled talking at length with some of his counterparts at Wichita State, and how they leaned on each other for support. . But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. The Marshall football team tragedy remains one of the saddest sports stories of all time. The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. "Red," Call said recently, "where you going to be buried?". His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. "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. Carter maintains he was spared because of God's providence. ". 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. 1970 Marshall Thundering Herd football team - Wikipedia Once again, on Saturday, Dawson will speak at the fountain ceremony. By JOHN RABY February 15, 2023. It is the center of activity of the campus. [10], The crash of Flight 932 so devastated the local community that it almost led to the discontinuation of Marshall's football program. She traveled to Washington, D.C. for the hearings that were supposed to explain the crash. This flight was the only flight that year for the Marshall University football team. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. Sturmisch lived to be 13. Unprepared, Dawson was named acting coach. David Debord, #76, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. [21] The ceremony featured guest speakers Dawson and Hardin. Dedication of Memorial Fountain to MU plane crash victims, Nov. 12, 1972. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. I'll be right over.' College Football Player, Plane Crash Victim. His body could not be identified, and with five other players, they were all buried. They even won a couple of games. Carter read his own obituary the next day in the local newspaper. It signified the teams unity as not just a football team, but one family. [4], At the time, Marshall's athletic teams rarely traveled by plane, since most away games were within easy driving distance of the campus. They all had said great things about him. 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. On Saturday, 75 candles surrounded the fountain. Yes, we grieve. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Plymale said 64 children lost one or both of their parents in the crash. In fact, it was stronger than that. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, at We'll look at what happened to the Marshall University football program as a . (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images). 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. He was an incredible all-around athlete. Copyright. White roses were laid by the fountain as each victims name was read at the ceremony. Bill to set annual remembrance for Marshall plane crash What good is it going to do anybody?' [7], The airliner continued on final approach to Tri-State Airport when it collided with the tops of trees on a hillside 5,543ft (1,690m) west of runway 11 (now runway 12). The team originally planned to cancel the flight, but changed plans and chartered the Southern Airways DC-9. Among the 75 who perished were 36 players. He never did try to preach to me. 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. On the 50th anniversary, they're both still around. Bobby Joe Hill, #41,1970 MU Football team, b&w. She has all of them, including an image of offensive guard John "Jimo" Adams, whose daughter Patricia was born the day her father was buried. 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. Fr. Gone were sons, fathers, mothers, classmates and fraternity brothers. Scott would call up and say, 'Any time you want to call, you call me night or day. Just like winter leads to spring, these bad memories now lead us to, I think, a day of celebration, Woelfel said. December 10, 2006 Herald-Dispatch [Huntington]. 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. The airport was not properly equipped. She spoke of her husband's early days as an assistant at Ferrum Junior College in Virginia. After the crash, Carter took a bus back to West Virginia. I didn't know what to do. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 16 and undefeated at 6-0. The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. A Tragic Plane Crash in 1970 Killed Most of Marshall's - Sportscasting Lyndhurst's Tom Shoebridge, brother of crash victim Ted Shoebridge, and Elmwood Park's Keith Karl, a freshman on the 1970 Marshall team, join the show. These are some of their stories, 50 years later. That's why, when a vet recommended Mary Jane stay home that weekend of Nov. 14 because a tumor had developed in Sturmisch's toe, there was no hesitation. Then success occurred in streaks. The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Center Dennis Foley (#55) centers ball to Bob Harris (#12) in a scrimmage,1970 MU Football team, b&w. There were injured players who stayed behind. 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. "I'm still wondering why.". - The Yeti Airlines flight with 68. I had 75 angels there.". The crew established radio contact with air traffic controllers at 7:23 pm with instructions to descend to 5,000ft (1,500m). When he passed, Loria's wife was pregnant with Frank Loria Jr. Beamer guided the buses to the memorial. Varsity Aces Live: Marshall Football Plane Crash 50th Anniversary. Slezak originally agreedbut said it would mean breaking a date. The rest were pilots, crew, coaches, administrators, boosters and business leaders. Former Marshall cheerleader Lucianne Kautz Call lost her father, Charlie E. Kautz, who was the universitys athletic director. Charles Kautz is third from right, with tie. 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. A memorial bell tower is being planned for a location on WV 75 near exit 1 along Interstate 64. The decision had already been made regarding cheerleaders for that trip. The crash was the worst in American sports history. var _gaq = _gaq || []; The return became the subject of the film, "We Are Marshall". DAntoni is now Marshalls basketball coach. [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]. The decision had been made long before the East Carolina game that Dawson would be out recruiting after the game. "Where nobody could see me," Dawson said of his hiding spot. They couldn't see. Dawson was retained by Tolley. That was the era before the color barrier had been broken in the SEC. Marshall's Plane Crash Happened 52 Years Ago, But the Memory Still Remains. 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. 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 phrase is about respect, and it makes you realize you can't take anything for granted. Beamer had brought a special Hokie Stone inscribed with Loria's name. 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. A travesty.". The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. He wanted them to learn about the Frank Loria he admired so much. > "The reason it's survivor's guilt is because so many people changed their mind at the last minute," Call said. 10:00 am ET. Memorial newspaper page from The Herald-Advertiser. In the days before instant news, the fog of tragedy took time to lift. Yolanda Shoebridge, the mother ofTed Shoebridge, called the Harris home on Linden Street. 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. Reggie Oliver was an outgoing quarterback who eventually made his way into the Marshall hall of fame. Southern Airways Flight 932 - Wikipedia Scott Jenkins. Art Shannon, #34, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. At that time, I thought I was a pretty bad-ass man.". Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert Van Horn and Freddy Wilson had come from Druid High School. > But I already knew. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda.". February 15, 2023, 10:43 AM. Tottenham Hotspur players observe a minutes silence for the victims of the plane crash involving the Brazilian club Chapecoense prior to the Premier. 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. They turned around, headed back home and immediately got lost. 13,739 Plane Crash Victim Premium High Res Photos "I kept thinking he [Arthur Sr.] would drive up in the car," said Maja Harris, Art Jr.s mother and Art Sr.s wife. Charles Kautz, 1970 MU Athletic Director, b&w. 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. [24], Marshall was scheduled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the air disaster in their football season opener on August 29, 2020. [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. Wayne County Democratic Sen. Robert Plymale was 15 at the time and was with friends in Kenova, near the airport. [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. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. It has taken her more than a year. Fifty-two years ago, Huntington, West Virginia, was home to what has been called the worst disaster in United States sports history. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. No one will ever know exactly how Harris Sr. ended up on the plane. The trip took 20 hours. He went to work one day and didn't come home.". Hamrick's future wife, Soletta, was in Mary Jane's sixth-grade home room back then. 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. "[7] The remains of six passengers were never identified. 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. "The town immediately went into mourning. The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. I realized I had been wrong about that.". 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. Couldn't keep my voice straight. Rick, he ran them off. He makes sure the Herd have a home game. On the way down, he realized -- only by the light of a fire -- that the log was actually a body. Memorial Fountain on the Marshall University campus, dedicated in 1972. Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C. Marshall decided to continue the football program. That is certainly what was going to happen.". The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshalls Huntington campus. > Yes, we hurt, Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick said. Marshall plane crash was 50 years ago; victim's friend can't forget Roy Slezak refuses to call it an anniversary. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing. [13][14], The Marshall University football team only won two games during the 1971 season, against Xavier and Bowling Green. Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options? "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. Dawson hopes it goes as well as last year. He was 37. Insurance agents were annoying. Officials sift through wreckage at the Marshall plane crash site, 1970. Frank Loria is third from left. He was the Athletic Director for MU. "You sissy," Dawson said. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. 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. That day nine years ago, "Frank Beamer became a very special person in my mind," Hamrick said. One of Dawson's greatest contributions may have been the recruiting of four African-American athletes out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. All were on the travel squad list before the plane crash. All were qualified for the flight. Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. One John Marshall Drive, It went beyond physical damage. His football will didn't come back quickly, but something has changed over the years. "Nobody did anything. I made a promise to Mrs. Harris that he would never be forgotten.. There is still a hint of that strapping tight end's body. Jack Lengyel was hired as the new coach in 1971. 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. "I got a call from our operations guy. Bear Bryant called Dawson, recommending them. 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. He has followed Marshall football all his lifeand makes a video tribute for his friend every year. 50 Years After: Remembering Marshall University's 1970 Plane Crash This goes deep, Plymale said. There are so many stories of folks who either got a spot on the plane at the last minute or were bumped off. [2][7] The plane burst into flames and created a swath of charred ground 95ft (29m) wide and 279ft (85m) long. Home According to the official National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, the accident was "unsurvivable". Marshall's defensive coordinator did not return home with the team. In the following weeks, Lengyel was aided in his attempts by receivers' coach Red Dawson. In the teams first home game since the plane crash, Marshall put together one of the most inspiring performances in sports history. The plane descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude, striking trees on a hillside about one mile from the runway. An Equal Opportunity University. Marshall University. He was like a sounding board.". "They were just so wonderful. That included 37 Marshall football players, 25 team boosters, multiple coaches and team doctors, and Marshalls athletic director. The town died. Marshall University: a Virtual Cemetery - Find a Grave "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. 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. Without an official designation, she has become the best historian of the events of 50 years ago. Not surprisingly, Call will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's memorial. If her husband was too hard-nosed or too tough, those notions were dispelled in the days after her world was turned upside down. One day, she rounded a corner in her house. Suddenly, then-Lucianne Kautz was without a father. 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. Because of the intensity of the crash, officials were unable to identify six of the players remains. 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. 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. Hewlett gave Carter a pamphlet titled, "Steps To Peace With God." It was unveiled to thousands 90 minutes before the game with the Miami University RedHawks. About Inscription. A week later, he died at age 66 as a result of the injury. It's more than that, of course. The NCAA granted Marshall permission to use freshmen on the varsity squad, something which was not allowed at the time. Normally in that situation, the cheerleaders would draw straws to see who went. 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. [23] The tribute was repeated for the rest of the season, including when Marshall met Rice in the 2013 Conference USA Football Championship game. 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". 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. Im glad that were going to honor them for each year in this way from here on out.. Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. The two played in the same defensive backfield for Virginia Tech in the late 1960s. The rebuilding of the football program was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starting Matthew McConaughey. No one could have imagined how deep a downward spiral Marshall University's football program would face in the late 1960's. ". "It was horrible because it was a non-ending funeral. 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. Its not an anniversary, but its a day to remember. When police needed a list of those on the plane, they came to the Kautzes' home. We each lost one or more family members, said Call, the ceremonys keynote speaker. He said, 'What the hell is going on with Virginia Tech?' Body unidentified and buried with five other unidentified players in Spring Hill Cemetery. He met with former Marshall coach Red Dawson, who gave away his seat on the plane that night. The Thundering Herd upset Xavier, 15-13, in an emotional victory for the ages. 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. About 10 years ago at a reunion, Mary Jane glanced across the room. Cemetery Visibility: Public. [5] The accident is the deadliest tragedy to have affected any sports team in U.S. In its second season under head coach Rick Tolley . That's German for "stormy." The next day, Mary Jane was gone. Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. He played Defensive end. 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. It was the second college football team plane crash in a little over a month, after the October 2 crash that killed 31 (head coach, 14 Wichita State players, and 16 others). It forever changed my life, Smith said. All were on the travel squad list before the plane crash. DeBord died in the 1970 plane crash. [4] The controllers advised the crew that "rain, fog, smoke and a ragged ceiling" were at the airport, making landing more difficult, but possible. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. In 2006, Hollywood turned that inspiring slogan into one of the greatest sports movies ever made. Ferrum won the national junior college championship his first year there in 1965. 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. William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Acting Head Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd MU Football team, 1st spring practice, April 1971, b&w. This plaza and this fountain are the heart of Marshall University, university President Jerome Gilbert said. "Straightforward, old time" is how Dawson described him. 1. One day, the wife of the head coach was in class. Caption on back reads: "Saturday Nov. 14, 1970. He said,'Mrs. People would come to the house and say this was meant to happen. Slezak went to visit Marshall in 2011, saying it was on his bucket list. Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. "In my case, it became clear four years later. Tragedy struck Marshall University more than a half-century ago, when most of the school's football program was involved in a plane crash .