On November 14, 1970, a chartered jet carrying most of the Marshall University football team was involved in a plane crashnear Tri-State Airport in Kenova, West Virginia, killing all onboard. They had just returned from playing East Carolina University that day, losing 17-14. Thirty-seven Marshall football players, along with their coach, doctors, athletic director and 25 team boosters from Huntington, were aboard; "[the whole] fabric and heart of Huntington [were aboard]." A citizen later wrote.This crash was just one of many tragic events to befall Marshall football since 1960, when their stadium, which hadn't been renovated since World War II, was condemned, and their playing surface became too unsafe to use. From 1966 through mid-1969, Marshall had not won any games. Worse yet, the NCAA had suspended them for over 100 recruiting violations (and expelled them from the Mid-American Conference as well). But Marshall seemed to be back on track: It had fired all its dishonest coaches, built an Astroturf field, and started winning games again. On February 14, Marshall narrowly lost to East Carolina but looked forward to an exciting campaign the following season.Huntington residents recall the plane crash as similar to President Kennedy's assassination: everyone knows where and what they were doing when they heard of its news. Immediately afterwards, mourning ensued throughout town: shops and government offices closed; businesses on Huntington's main street draped their windows with black bunting; the university held a memorial service in its stadium the next day before canceling Monday classes; funerals had to be spread out over weeks due to so many being performed; one particularly heartbreaking ceremony saw six unidentified players being laid rest for eternity at Spring Hill Cemetery on a hill overlooking their university home: six players buried together after having gone without identification were interred there on a hill overlooking Huntington - an act which caused no small amounts of regretment among its many inhabitants whose lives would forever change them all for evermore.Marshall hired Jack Lengyel from the College of Wooster in Ohio as their new football coach and began rebuilding their squad. The NCAA allowed Lengyel to put freshmen onto his varsity squad; thus creating an eclectic mix of first-years, walk-ons, and nine veteran players who hadn't been involved with the plane crash that night. Although Marshall lost its opening game of 1971 against Ohio Xavier University 15-13 with a dramatic last-second touchdown against them, Marshall eventually went on to win nine more under Lengyel during his four year stint with us but none as emotionally.
Survive and Advance: Purdue/UCONN Preview, Caitlin Clark is the Goat? Calipari out at UK
NCAA Championship Game Preview: UCONN vs Purdue
NCAA Final Four Preview Show: UCONN coronation? Purdue or Bama to win first? NC State cinderella again
NFL Breaking News: Stefon Diggs traded to the Houston Texans!
March Madness Special: Duke vs Houston Preview
Indiana Basketball Weekly: Did Mike Woodson do a good job this season!
Sports of all sorts: Guest Author Ann Liguori discusses her book Life on the Green
Indiana Basketball Weekly: IU/Penn State recap and IU/Nebraska Preview!
Indiana basketball Weekly: IU/Penn State Preview W/Alec Lasley
Indiana Basketball Weekly: IU/Michigan State Recap
Big Ten Daily: Should Indiana Fire Woodson? IU/Wisconsin and Penn State/Iowa Game Previews
Big Ten Daily: Hoosiers fall, Nittany Lions Rise and previewing all of Tonight's action!
Big Ten Daily: IU/Neb and Illinois/PSU Previews and recapping last night's games!
Indiana Basketball Weekly: IU/Northwestern recap and Nebraska Preview
Big Ten Basketball Daily: Maryland/Wisconsin and Iowa/Michigan State plus Big ten news
NFL Legends Show: Guest Terry Hanratty former Steelers Quarterback!
NFL Legends Show: Guest Pete Johnson All Pro Bengals Running Back
Indiana Basketball Weekly: IU/Northwestern Preview W/Alec Lasley
Inside Boxing: Joshua/Wallin and Wilder/Parker Fight Previews
Indiana basketball Weekly W/Steve Risley: Indiana vs Morehead State Recap
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Coach Carvalho Podcast
From Corner2Corner
Golf Podcast: next on the tee
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The MeatEater Podcast