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." 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. 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. This time, they decided if all couldn't go, none of them could go. Marshall Plane Crash Site Marker. Jack Lengyel was hired as the new coach in 1971. Gone were sons, fathers, mothers, classmates and fraternity brothers. In the following weeks, Lengyel was aided in his attempts by receivers' coach Red Dawson. 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. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5. . "We got her when she was 6 weeks old. "[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. And on Saturday, the 16th-ranked football team won, defeating Middle Tennessee 42-14. 1970 Crash Victims. MU plane crash historical marker, Wayne County, W.Va., col. (low-res digital image only). | 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. In 1968, Dawson was hired by new Marshall coach Perry Moss as defensive coordinator. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Marshall's defensive coordinator did not return home with the team. history". These are some of their stories, 50 years later. Dawson was retained by Tolley. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. We each lost one or more family members, said Call, the ceremonys keynote speaker. Wichita Falls is 1,100 miles from Huntington. They turned around, headed back home and immediately got lost. [19], On November 11, 2000, the We Are Marshall Memorial Bronze was dedicated. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Authorities continually brought "old charred things" to her hoping to gain the identity of victims. "The reason it's survivor's guilt is because so many people changed their mind at the last minute," Call said. Plymale said 64 children lost one or both of their parents in the crash. [25], The events of the crash are documented in an episode of Aircrash Confidential titled "Disastrous Descents".[27]. She spoke of her husband's early days as an assistant at Ferrum Junior College in Virginia. "[7] The remains of six passengers were never identified. "He definitely had pro potential, no question," formerPassaiccoach John Federici, told The Record in 2001. Libraries Trademarked and copyrighted images and insignia are the exclusive property of Marshall University. 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. Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. Frank Loria was one of Beamer's best friends. The tragedy shocked the town of Huntington in the worst way imaginable. [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]. "This was the first time dad was so proud that we were going [to fly] first class," Call said. Across the nation, many expressed their condolences. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Beamer had brought a special Hokie Stone inscribed with Loria's name. Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. Home Marshall Thundering Herd cheerleaders react as a video saluting the 1970 team that was killed in a plane crash is shown on the scoreboard prior to. Among them were Dr. Ray Hagley, who was a Marshall team physician, and his wife. When Lengyel was hired as Tolley's replacement, Dawson stayed but only for a while. There is already a plot there for one more. > 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). Her life had become unhinged. "They were just so wonderful. From that moment, we became one family.. If he had gone with Art Sr., would they have made the same mistake or would they have flown to the correct city? 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. If you play football at Marshall University, you have a role to make sure that's never forgotten.". The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. | The two played in the same defensive backfield for Virginia Tech in the late 1960s. Plymales mother attended a funeral in North Carolina, and her family became close friends with the victims family. On Saturday, 75 candles surrounded the fountain. })(); (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash"). briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. The plane descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude, striking trees on a hillside about one mile from the runway. He never did try to preach to me. [8], The board made three recommendations as a result of this accident, including recommendations for heads-up displays, ground proximity warning devices, and surveillance and inspection of flight operations. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing. Never defeated. He met with former Marshall coach Red Dawson, who gave away his seat on the plane that night. Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. Body unidentified and buried with five other unidentified players in Spring Hill Cemetery. December 10, 2006 Herald-Dispatch [Huntington]. I just hung up the phone. Harris Sr. told Slezak he had to keep his promises. 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. Harris Jr. was named to The Bergen Records All-Century team for Passaic County. David Debord, #76, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. There was room for only a few of them on the plane to Kinston, North Carolina. Griffith died in the 1970 plane crash. That was an overwhelming responsibility.". There is still a hint of that strapping tight end's body. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. He went to work one day and didn't come home.". 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. The trip took 20 hours. Frank Loria is third from left. 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. We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. Cemetery Visibility: Public. Marshall captured Division I-AA national championships in 1992 and 1996 and amassed the most wins of any team in the nation in the 1990s, many of them during a step up to Division I-A, now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision. The flight shouldve been nothing more than a formality, but the team would never reach their destination back in Huntington. 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. His body could not be identified, and with five other players, they were all buried. ". He has followed Marshall football all his lifeand makes a video tribute for his friend every year. Bear Bryant called Dawson, recommending them. While in the air, the plane struck a tree on a tall hill and crashed to the ground. Hewlett gave Carter a pamphlet titled, "Steps To Peace With God." It still stands as the most fatal sports-related accident in history. ". MU_PLANE_CRASH. "You couldn't count on it," Dawson said. He played Defensive end. Inscription. Center Dennis Foley (#55) centers ball to Bob Harris (#12) in a scrimmage,1970 MU Football team, b&w. 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. That's German for "stormy." During that ceremony, Gilbert spoke eloquently about the 75 souls again. Huntington, WV 25755. [16] The committee decided upon one major memorial within the campus, a plaque and memorial garden at Fairfield Stadium, and a granite cenotaph at the Spring Hill Cemetery; the Memorial Student Center was designated a memorial as well.[17]. That begins to describe some of that enduring guilt. He was the center. This plaza and this fountain are the heart of Marshall University, university President Jerome Gilbert said. Virginia Tech's coach had a plan for the pregame. Digital Collections The bronze 1723 ft (57 m) statue was created by artist Burl Jones of Sissonville, West Virginia, and cost $150,000. In the days before instant news, the fog of tragedy took time to lift. (function() { [24], Marshall was scheduled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the air disaster in their football season opener on August 29, 2020. Nobody went anywhere.". A sign of renewed life. "You have to realize he had to tell several, several players' families, all the ones that he recruited. > All were qualified for the flight. From there, he could see them talk, cry, even reminisce about the largest air disaster in United States sports history. Although the airport runway has since been lengthened past its original threshold, making historical measurements more difficult, the NTSB official report provides, "the accident occurred during hours of darkness at 38 22' 27" N. latitude and 82 34' 42" W. He has traveled internationally and led huge congregations. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. I never wanted to miss a chance to see Art play.. They arrived shortly before sunrise. All three were killed in the plane crash. Those were diplomas they never had a chance to receive. [16], Every year, on the anniversary of the crash, the fountain is shut off during a commemorative ceremony and not activated again until the following spring. longitude." Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. Private. By JOHN RABY February 15, 2023. Tragedy struck Marshall University more than a half-century ago, when most of the school's football program was involved in a plane crash . 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Just like winter leads to spring, these bad memories now lead us to, I think, a day of celebration, Woelfel said. He said, 'What the hell is going on with Virginia Tech?' New Bern National Cemetery. 1. briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. "He didn't tell anyone what he was going to do until the last minute," Hamrick said. 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. "We'd always rode buses.". Three-and-a-half years after the crash in 1974, Carter was working with Carl Hewlett, a former Marshall pitcher. I knew as soon as I saw the police car. Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options? [21], November 14, 2013, marked the first time that Marshall had played a road game on an anniversary of the disaster. William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Acting Head Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd MU Football team, 1st spring practice, April 1971, b&w. She feared for his safety. 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. But that begs the very human question of why God spared him and not those on the plane? But I already knew. The two didn't get along, according to Dawson. Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C.". Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. This flight was the only flight that year for the Marshall University football team. White roses were laid by the fountain as each victims name was read at the ceremony. It was a rainy night. Hamrick's future wife, Soletta, was in Mary Jane's sixth-grade home room back then. A memorial fountain will be turned off the same time it is every year only to be turned back on in the spring. She would just listen to the game on the radio. "All these guys, about 50 of them, came out for football. An Equal Opportunity University. history.[6]. "I believe I want to be buried up there with my boys," Dawson said. Carter can't recall how a Marshall assistant found his film in the late 1960s. The 6500 lb, 13 ft-high (2900 kg, 4 m-high) sculpture was completed within a year and a half. [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. The team originally planned to cancel the flight, but changed plans and chartered the Southern Airways DC-9. Charlie Kautz had lived long enough to give away Lucianne at her wedding only five months earlier. Marshall won just two games, and the first winning season didnt come for another 13 years. His life was spared that night a half century ago. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; He will speak at the annual memorial on Saturday like he has now for years. "You sissy," Dawson said. [18], Each year on the anniversary of the crash, those who died are mourned in a ceremony on the Marshall University campus in Huntington, West Virginia. New coach Jack Lengyel, Marshall University students, and Thundering Herd football fans convinced acting Marshall president, Donald N. Dedmon, to reconsider cancelling the program in late 1970. Barry W. Nash, #35,1970 MU Football team, b&w. 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. He was a linebacker. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, at 77 memorials. According to the official National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, the accident was "unsurvivable". ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 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). Dawson and Parker were buying boiled peanuts at a country store in rural Virginia when they heard the news over the radio. That was the era before the color barrier had been broken in the SEC. "The Lord has been good to me," he concluded. The team and residents of the town still gather together every year in memorial of the fallen fellows. Largemouth bass were Tolley's favorite. Special Collections His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. "At 1 o'clock in the morning, a detective came to the door. The dog's name was Sturmisch. Her recollections of the crash's aftermath are split. 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. Southern Airways Flight 932. Marshall University. I had 75 angels there.". It was donated to the university by Marshall fans and is attached to Joan C. Edwards Stadium on the west faade. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. [10], The crash of Flight 932 so devastated the local community that it almost led to the discontinuation of Marshall's football program. Lives were shattered. But as a freshman in 1970, Oliver didn't travel. He was also the offensive line coach. 10:00 am ET. Harris, I have bad news.' Sturmisch lived to be 13. 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. In fact, it was stronger than that. The college town agreed with him. 37 of them were members of the football team. Slezak originally agreedbut said it would mean breaking a date. "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. While Wichita State ended its football program in 1986, Marshall carried on. Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C. [4][9], The effects of the crash on Huntington went far beyond the Marshall campus. I don't think I believed it.. 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. When police needed a list of those on the plane, they came to the Kautzes' home. Dawson hopes it goes as well as last year. 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. The subsequent negotiations resulted in a reduction of the weight of passengers and baggage and the charter flight was scheduled. 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. That day nine years ago, "Frank Beamer became a very special person in my mind," Hamrick said. "We stayed friends forever," Dawson said proudly. Four of the crash victims were students in her class, and Marshall faculty were sent to attend the funerals. 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. Defensive back. "In my case, it became clear four years later. Its an inspiring tribute to those fallen lives and the devoted men who led Marshall back to glory. 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. 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. Art Harris, #22, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. He recalled talking at length with some of his counterparts at Wichita State, and how they leaned on each other for support. It is based upon ideas by John and Ann Krieger of Huntington. They couldn't take the tough routine. William Alfred "Red" Dawson was one of the best players Bobby Bowden ever saw. Back then, Bowden was the wide receivers coach. | At the time of the crash, Harris Jr. led Marshall in rushing and kick returns. There was no playbook, and nobody had been in that position before.". The opponent was scheduled to be East Carolinathe same team that defeated Marshall before the disaster took place. Its not an anniversary, but its a day to remember. That game did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I couldn't go to all of them. Sort By. 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. 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. 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. DAntoni is now Marshalls basketball coach. He wanted them to learn about the Frank Loria he admired so much. Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd, Al Carelli, Jr., Assistant coach, 1970 MU Football team, Allen Gene Skeens, #59,1970 MU Football team, Barry W. Nash, #35, 1970 MU Football team, Bobby Joe Hill, #41, 1970 MU Football team, Center Dennis Foley (#55) centers ball to Bob Harris (#12),1970 MU Football team, Charles A. 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". Charlie had given his wife a manifest before he left.