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The event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever . All were on the travel squad list before the plane crash. In the following weeks, Lengyel was aided in his attempts by receivers' coach Red Dawson. Hewlett gave Carter a pamphlet titled, "Steps To Peace With God." His body could not be identified, and with five other players, they were all buried. "I didn't do anything except for fishing, hunting and construction work," he said. Marshall decided to continue the football program. 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. > 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 Unexpected Death of University of Connecticut Football Player Jasper Howard. That begins to describe some of that enduring guilt. The aircraft "dipped to the right, almost inverted, and had crashed into a hollow 'nose-first'". 16 and undefeated at 6-0. [1] The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. She traveled to Washington, D.C. for the hearings that were supposed to explain the crash. If her husband was too hard-nosed or too tough, those notions were dispelled in the days after her world was turned upside down. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. Not surprisingly, Call will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's memorial. 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. Among them were Dr. Ray Hagley, who was a Marshall team physician, and his wife. Fifty-two years ago, Huntington, West Virginia, was home to what has been called the worst disaster in United States sports history. He was the Athletic Director for MU. "It was horrible because it was a non-ending funeral. Charles A. Mary Jane eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia. The Hokies were in town to play the Herd. Charles Kautz, 1970 MU Athletic Director, b&w. He was 37. Lives were shattered. A bunch of her husband's former linemen were lining the walls of her living room. Members of the current team also visited a nearby cemetery, where six players from the 1970 team whose bodies were never identified were buried. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The tragedy shocked the town of Huntington in the worst way imaginable. They turned around, headed back home and immediately got lost. The late Jack Hardin, then a Huntington Herald-Dispatch reporter, once recalled stepping over a log on his way up the hill to cover the story. "You sissy," Dawson said. "I kept thinking he [Arthur Sr.] would drive up in the car," said Maja Harris, Art Jr.s mother and Art Sr.s wife. "He said: 'Your husband is in the plane, too.' Al Carelli, Jr., Assistant coach, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. I don't think I believed it.. I didn't know what to do. She would just listen to the game on the radio. "Kenova to dedicate crash memorial Monday." "That's something I've never been able to get over because it was so wrong.". - The Yeti Airlines flight with 68. "All these guys, about 50 of them, came out for football. 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. This is not what you wanted to hear. [20], On December 11, 2006, a memorial plaque was dedicated at the plane crash site. He recalled talking at length with some of his counterparts at Wichita State, and how they leaned on each other for support. A travesty.". "I always loved to fly," she said. The NCAA made an exception for the Thundering Herd. Middle guard Ed Carter was back in Wichita Falls, Texas, that terrible day to bury his father. To be honest, when she told me, I didn't believe her because we had never had a plane trip.". There was no reason to be around. Druid High School football players sign grants-in-aid with Marshall in the spring of 1969. 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 had a great future in front of 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. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. But football quickly drained from him after the crash. [15], Marshall University President John G. Barker and Vice President Dedmon appointed a memorial committee soon after the crash. 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. MU_PLANE_CRASH. She spoke of her husband's early days as an assistant at Ferrum Junior College in Virginia. The two didn't get along, according to Dawson. Southern Airways DC-9, similiar to plane that crashed with MU footballt team, col. (low-res digital image only). [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. I had 75 angels there.". "The reason it's survivor's guilt is because so many people changed their mind at the last minute," Call 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. Suddenly, then-Lucianne Kautz was without a father. Featured speakers were Chancellor Steve Ballard, Athletic Director Terry Holland, Pirates' broadcaster Jeff Charles, and Marshall president, Stephen Kopp. So were the religious types who were too numerous for their messages to get through. (JACK BURNETT/AP) The team and residents of the town still gather together every year in memorial of the fallen fellows. 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. Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options? She has made it her responsibility to track down pictures of all 75 victims for Saturday's memorial. The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. They had met in Roanoke, Virginia, where she taught. 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. Harris died in the 1970 plane crash. The event marked a boundary by which an entire community would forever measure time before or after The Crash. Marshall University. He was the center. [25], The events of the crash are documented in an episode of Aircrash Confidential titled "Disastrous Descents".[27]. The trip took 20 hours. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. . "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. The return became the subject of the film, "We Are Marshall". Every one of the 75 people on board died in the crash. All 75 passengers on the team plane were killed in the crash, including 37 members of the Marshall University football team, eight football coaches, including head coach Rick Tolley, athletic director Charlie Kautz, 25 boosters and five flight crew members. [21], November 14, 2013, marked the first time that Marshall had played a road game on an anniversary of the disaster. Back rfeads: 1st MU practice Spring 1971, Coach Red Dawson. Varsity Aces Live: Marshall Football Plane Crash 50th Anniversary. This goes deep, Plymale said. Authorities continually brought "old charred things" to her hoping to gain the identity of victims. As a memorial to the 75 victims, the Marshall players wore the number 75 on their helmets. Following its plane crash, Wichita State was granted similar permission to use freshmen on the varsity to resume its 1970 season. He has followed Marshall football all his lifeand makes a video tribute for his friend every year. In 1968, Dawson was hired by new Marshall coach Perry Moss as defensive coordinator. Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. He will speak at the annual memorial on Saturday like he has now for years. At 7:34pm, the airliner's crew reported passing Tri-State Airport's outer marker. (function() { [21] The ceremony featured guest speakers Dawson and Hardin. The actual damage was incalculable. Never defeated. "I didn't want anybody to see me crying. Lucianne Call hasn't lost much of her cheerleading enthusiasm. The Tolleys were ingrained in the community. var _gaq = _gaq || []; But as a freshman in 1970, Oliver didn't travel. All Rights Reserved. Things were going swimmingly two weeks before the East Carolina game. Slezak went to visit Marshall in 2011, saying it was on his bucket list. That game did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That bitterness lingered. It's categorized as a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 00:00 / 00:00. "I'm still wondering why.". Frank Loria is third from left. The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. 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. The airport was not properly equipped. One of Dawson's greatest contributions may have been the recruiting of four African-American athletes out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Its an inspiring tribute to those fallen lives and the devoted men who led Marshall back to glory. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. There was no playbook, and nobody had been in that position before.". })(); (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash"). Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. Sketch titled "America Weeps, Saturday Nov. 14, 1970." At 7:36pm on November 14, 1970, the aircraft crashed into a hill just short of the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board in what has been recognized as "the worst sports-related air tragedy in U.S. All three were killed in the plane crash. "[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. For Slezak, a retired banker/computer engineer, Saturday's 50th anniversary of the crash is an emotional occasion. This flight was the only flight that year for the Marshall University football team. It was raining hard, and he remembered seeing ambulances speeding past the group. 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. Sometimes Gilbert -- Marshall's president -- comes over for a couple of beers. Two years ago, Oliver, the personable quarterback, leaned back in a chair. 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. Loria had been a two-time All-American at Virginia Tech. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda.". On November 14, 1970, the team was flying back from a game against East Carolina. [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. It is based upon ideas by John and Ann Krieger of Huntington. Then success occurred in streaks. The Thundering Herd upset Xavier, 15-13, in an emotional victory for the ages. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Page of 4. Dedication of Memorial Fountain to MU plane crash victims, Nov. 12, 1972. After an uneventful flight, the crew contacted Huntington Airport tower at 7:23 p.m. and were cleared for a localizer approach on runway 11. 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. Frank Loria was one of Beamer's best friends. Lengyel, who came from a coaching job at the College of Wooster, was hired by the recently hired athletic director Joe McMullen, under whom he had previously worked at the University of Akron in the 1950s. I try to think about all the good times and the memories we made, Slezak said. Rick Tolley is behind him. Marshall University honors the 75 lives lost in the 1970 plane crash tragedy during the 48th Annual Memorial Service on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018 . briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. "Oh sure, you ask yourself, 'Why did I miss it and all my friends and coaches were killed?' [4], At the time, Marshall's athletic teams rarely traveled by plane, since most away games were within easy driving distance of the campus. The airliner's crew was Captain Frank Abbot (47), First Officer Jerry Smith (28), plus two flight attendants. 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. During that ceremony, Gilbert spoke eloquently about the 75 souls again. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The decision had already been made regarding cheerleaders for that trip. Shops and government offices closed; businesses on the town's main street draped their windows in black bunting," History.com reported. [2][7] The plane burst into flames and created a swath of charred ground 95ft (29m) wide and 279ft (85m) long. Instead, the descent continued for another 300ft (91m) for unknown reasons, apparently without either crew member actually seeing the airport lights or runway. 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. 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. "It wasn't losing faith," she said. FAQ Caption on back reads: "Saturday Nov. 14, 1970. Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert Van Horn and Freddy Wilson had come from Druid High School. > They all had said great things about him. 1. He was taken away way too soon.". _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); He went to work one day and didn't come home.". [2], The original proposal to charter the flight was refused because it would exceed "the takeoff limitations of their aircraft". After suffering the loss to East Carolina on Nov. 14, 1970, a majority of the Marshall team boarded Southern Airlines Flight 932. It was impossible for the remaining Marshall players to forget about their fallen teammates, but they had to when the 1971 season approached. There were 64 children who became orphans after losing one or both parents on the flight. [12] Lengyel led the Thundering Herd to a 933 record during his tenure, which ended after the 1974 season. 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.