marshall plane crash victims list

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. Three-and-a-half years after the crash in 1974, Carter was working with Carl Hewlett, a former Marshall pitcher. Near Huntington, West Virginia. We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. Sometimes Gilbert -- Marshall's president -- comes over for a couple of beers. "We stayed friends forever," Dawson said proudly. The Tolleys were ingrained in the community. Nash died in the 1970 plane crash. Charlie had given his wife a manifest before he left. With 37 players gone due to the horrific tragedy, the NCAA allowed Marshalls freshmen players to suit up the next season. Center Dennis Foley (#55) centers ball to Bob Harris (#12) in a scrimmage,1970 MU Football team, b&w. The team and residents of the town still gather together every year in memorial of the fallen fellows. 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. He was 37. ". | The bill establishes that Nov. 14 will become a special memorial day in remembrance of the crash. While Wichita State ended its football program in 1986, Marshall carried on. William Alfred "Red" Dawson was one of the best players Bobby Bowden ever saw. > White roses were laid by the fountain as each victims name was read at the ceremony. [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. What good is it going to do anybody?' He makes sure the Herd have a home game. The inspiring story even made it to the big screen in 2006. She would just listen to the game on the radio. "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". We didn't have children, so she was like a child. Marshall's Plane Crash Happened 52 Years Ago, But the Memory Still Remains. 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 the center. No one will ever know exactly how Harris Sr. ended up on the plane. We'll look at what happened to the Marshall University football program as a . The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. He returned to find a city, a university and a program in despair. Reggie Oliver was an outgoing quarterback who eventually made his way into the Marshall hall of fame. "That had taken a toll on my football coaching, a lot of bad things. Beamer was at his wife-to-be's home that November night. "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. "My wonder was, 'Why? ". Southern Airways DC-9, similiar to plane that crashed with MU footballt team, col. (low-res digital image only). I'll be right over.' [2][7] The plane burst into flames and created a swath of charred ground 95ft (29m) wide and 279ft (85m) long. [25], The events of the crash are documented in an episode of Aircrash Confidential titled "Disastrous Descents".[27]. Gone were sons, fathers, mothers, classmates and fraternity brothers. > 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). "We got her when she was 6 weeks old. Private. Rick Tolley had helped him with the plane ticket to get back home. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A memorial fountain will be turned off the same time it is every year only to be turned back on in the spring. 1. [2], The original proposal to charter the flight was refused because it would exceed "the takeoff limitations of their aircraft". According to the official National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, the accident was "unsurvivable". On Saturday, it will be Middle Tennessee State. Call is giddy talking about Marshall president Jerome Gilbert's initiative to award all 36 players their diplomas at a Friday afternoon ceremony. 10:00 am ET. One of Dawson's greatest contributions may have been the recruiting of four African-American athletes out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. You see, out of the tragedy has come not a celebration but an annual realization that some good has been made out of the worst thing imaginable. 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." The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. Report: Big 12 in recent contact with Pac-12 schools, Rules committee proposes change to speed up games, Saban unhappy over proposed permanent rivals, USC coach Lincoln Riley builds the perfect QB. briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. "It wasn't losing faith," she said. Aircraft and crew. But the town came back.. 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. And on Saturday, the 16th-ranked football team won, defeating Middle Tennessee 42-14. 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. In 2011, Frank Beamer directed the Virginia Tech team buses to detour on their way to Marshall's Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Harris, I have bad news.' 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. 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. Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. He was taken away way too soon.". Former WSAZ-TV reporter Bob Brunner shared with CBS Sports, in disturbing detail, the sights and smells he experienced that night trudging up the hill and witnessing the wreckage. Football seeped out of his life. "The Young Herd" that carried on in 1971 had a new coach, Jack Lengyel. Huntington, WV 25755. Digital Collections "He had a great future in front of him. Charles Kautz is third from right, with tie. He went recruiting. This time, they decided if all couldn't go, none of them could go. Officials sift through wreckage at the Marshall plane crash site, 1970. It was a rainy night. It really sort of shapes the fiber in you, of what you are.. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. The aircraft was a 95-seat, twin-jet engine Douglas DC-9-30 with tail registration N97S. "That's something I've never been able to get over because it was so wrong.". God's providence? They left behind six children who were being babysat by Dan DAntoni, a 23-year-old assistant with the Marshall basketball program in 1970. I made a promise to Mrs. Harris that he would never be forgotten.. Carter will be thinking about "thanking the Lord for his grace and mercy, watching over me and sparing my life." "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. Frank Loria was one of Beamer's best friends. 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). Dedication of Memorial Fountain to MU plane crash victims, Nov. 12, 1972. "It was just a little school in the hills," Mary Jane said. [15], Marshall University President John G. Barker and Vice President Dedmon appointed a memorial committee soon after the crash. Cemetery Visibility: Public. He was the offensive tackle. Its an inspiring tribute to those fallen lives and the devoted men who led Marshall back to glory. Trademarked and copyrighted images and insignia are the exclusive property of Marshall University. 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. The college town agreed with him. Yes, we grieve. "She was wonderful," Mary Jane Tolley said of Sturmisch. No one prepared her for what was next. She never could explain it other than saying God had spoken to her. Shannon died in the plane crash. Carter hardly knew anyone on the team who carried on. "As I listened to the scriptures," Carter said, "the Lord has purpose for each one of our lives.". "Anniversaries are supposed to be happy," Slezak said . They couldn't see. 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. 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. Because of the intensity of the crash, officials were unable to identify six of the players remains. After the plane crash, she became the only thing that I had.". (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive), "'We Are Marshall' just stuck," Smith said. About 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. The event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever measure time before or after The Crash. Fr. The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. He was the center. In 1968, Dawson was hired by new Marshall coach Perry Moss as defensive coordinator. . [10], The crash of Flight 932 so devastated the local community that it almost led to the discontinuation of Marshall's football program. A memorial bell tower is being planned for a location on WV 75 near exit 1 along Interstate 64. Unprepared, Dawson was named acting coach. 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. The two had breakfast together and talked for hours. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda.". [20], On December 11, 2006, a memorial plaque was dedicated at the plane crash site. "Apparently, it was time God saw fit to call them.". 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. "At 21, you haven't been familiar with death. Then success occurred in streaks. It was a funeral that never stopped. All Rights Reserved. She graduated from Marshall in 1971. The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. He has followed Marshall football all his lifeand makes a video tribute for his friend every year. 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. > They stayed in Marshall for a fundraising event. Hewlett gave Carter a pamphlet titled, "Steps To Peace With God." His close friend and neighbor, Art Harris Jr., was one of the Marshall players who died. Caption on back reads: "Saturday Nov. 14, 1970. They met once a year, Red Dawson and the sycamore tree he picked out that was large enough to hide behind. This plaza and this fountain are the heart of Marshall University, university President Jerome Gilbert said. "When the 14th of November comes around every year, all the worms and stuff start getting in your head," Dawson said. In fact, it was stronger than that. Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. Offering Aviation History & Adventure First-Hand! The NCAA granted Marshall permission to use freshmen on the varsity squad, something which was not allowed at the time. [19], On November 11, 2000, the We Are Marshall Memorial Bronze was dedicated. Pure chance, some cases. Tri-State airport installed a glide slope using federal funds in 1972. Or would he have gotten on the plane himself? 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. The flight shouldve been nothing more than a formality, but the team would never reach their destination back in Huntington. [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. 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. Most of his teammates were gone, forever. Inscription. 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. Back then, Bowden was the wide receivers coach. A week later, he died at age 66 as a result of the injury. Southern Airways Flight 932. 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. 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. Copyright. At that time, I thought I was a pretty bad-ass man.". The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. FAQ 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. 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. All 75 people on board died. Home Sketch is matted and framed. 1970 aviation accident in West Virginia, United States, A Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident, Pinkston, Antwon. He wanted them to learn about the Frank Loria he admired so much. Another plaque memorializing the 1970 Marshall football team was unveiled at East Carolina University on the same day and can be seen at the guest team entrance of DowdyFicklen Stadium. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . Plymale said his mother was a professor at Marshall. The subsequent negotiations resulted in a reduction of the weight of passengers and baggage and the charter flight was scheduled. Loria became Marshall's defensive backs coach in 1970. [23] The tribute was repeated for the rest of the season, including when Marshall met Rice in the 2013 Conference USA Football Championship game. It was raining hard, and he remembered seeing ambulances speeding past the group. I didn't know what to do. Slezak believes Harris Sr. flew to the wrong city Greenville, South Carolina, instead of Greenville, North Carolina, where East Carolina is located. This goes deep, Plymale said. Two-and-a-half months ago, Dawson remarried. [3] The team was returning home after a 1714 loss to the East Carolina Pirates at Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina. At 7:36 p.m. Nov. 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed into a hill just short of the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board. "Couldn't keep the tears out of my eyes. [24], Marshall was scheduled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the air disaster in their football season opener on August 29, 2020. He was 37. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Memorial at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia to the victims of the 1970 plane crash. | That included 37 Marshall football players, 25 team boosters, multiple coaches and team doctors, and Marshalls athletic director. Marshall football plane crash was 50 years ago, but victim's friend can't forget that day. 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. If you play football at Marshall University, you have a role to make sure that's never forgotten.". The crash was the worst in American sports history. He has accomplished that goal. December 10, 2006 Herald-Dispatch [Huntington]. The event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever . Head coach Rick Tolley was among the crash victims. Kautz died in the 1970 plane crash. There is already a plot there for one more. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); It's more than that, of course. For Slezak, a retired banker/computer engineer, Saturday's 50th anniversary of the crash is an emotional occasion. ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? Carter can't recall how a Marshall assistant found his film in the late 1960s. They couldn't take the tough routine. It slipped out from underneath him, according to Dawson, and Oliver hit his head. Its still considered the worst air disaster in American 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. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. 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. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. It was the worst single air tragedy in NCAA sports history. The Hokies were in town to play the Herd. Plymales mother attended a funeral in North Carolina, and her family became close friends with the victims family. Digitized University Archives Collections. As a 21-year-old newlywed senior cheerleader at Marshall, she read the news of the crash on the crawl at the bottom of a television screen. February 15, 2023, 10:43 AM. It was an impression he put in her heart. "It was not a premonition. 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". [4], The NTSB investigated the accident and its final report was issued on April 14, 1972. "Nobody did anything. Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. "I was wondering when somebody is going to come up and say, 'You can't do that,' " Dawson said. "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. He never did try to preach to me. [4][9], The effects of the crash on Huntington went far beyond the Marshall campus. His body could not be identified, and with five other players, they were all buried. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, at 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. Holliday wants to make a date to come out and hunt turkeys on Dawson's 400 acres outside of town. In the following weeks, Lengyel was aided in his attempts by receivers' coach Red Dawson. The Tolleys loved their German Shepherd. "I could hear the speeches and see what was going on [from behind the tree]," he said. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 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. "Al" Saylor, #88,1970 MU Football team, b&w. An Equal Opportunity University. Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, USA . 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. Rescue teams search for victims at the site of the Yeti Airlines plane crash, in Pokhara on January 17, 2023. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. | They turned around, headed back home and immediately got lost. He said, No, you keep your commitment, that is what you do, there will be other games, Slezak said. Anniversaries are supposed to be happy, Slezak said from his home in New Mexico. "I can remember the hurt in my stomach like it was yesterday," Beamer said. 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. 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. 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. 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]. Griffith died in the 1970 plane crash. Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert Van Horn and Freddy Wilson had come from Druid High School. Charlie Kautz had lived long enough to give away Lucianne at her wedding only five months earlier. Slezak originally agreedbut said it would mean breaking a date. Mary Jane was persistent. 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. 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?". "All these guys, about 50 of them, came out for football. Tolley's grave was moved up there a few years ago.