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. ". It was an impression he put in her heart. He returned to find a city, a university and a program in despair. 1970 aviation accident in West Virginia, United States, A Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident, Pinkston, Antwon. A fireman on Nov. 15, 1970, looks over the wreckage of a DC-9 jet that crashed the day before on approach near a mountaintop airport a few miles from Huntington, W.Va. (Associated Press). Red Dawson was admittedly bitter. Those were diplomas they never had a chance to receive. 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. 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. "[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. In the days before instant news, the fog of tragedy took time to lift. "Bobby got this corona[virus] thing and beat it.". Bear Bryant called Dawson, recommending them. So why would anyone living with all that baggage intentionally go up in the air? "God has a time for each one of us," Carter said. My Account The rest were pilots, crew, coaches, administrators, boosters and business leaders. The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. [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). "Straightforward, old time" is how Dawson described him. Marshall decided to continue the football program. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. David Debord, #76, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. The 1970 Marshall University Football Team Plane Crash "We stayed friends forever," Dawson said proudly. Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. God's providence? (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images). What they witnessed was dystopian. There was no reason to be around. 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. [21], November 14, 2013, marked the first time that Marshall had played a road game on an anniversary of the disaster. He never did try to preach to me. "All these guys, about 50 of them, came out for football. It was donated to the university by Marshall fans and is attached to Joan C. Edwards Stadium on the west faade. The aircraft "dipped to the right, almost inverted, and had crashed into a hollow 'nose-first'". Football seeped out of his life. February 15, 2023, 10:43 AM. Just like winter leads to spring, these bad memories now lead us to, I think, a day of celebration, Woelfel said. Loria had been a two-time All-American at Virginia Tech. Rick Tolley is behind him. "I always loved to fly," she said. It signified the teams unity as not just a football team, but one family. He was taken away way too soon.". And then, after the game, if Slezak had been there, would that have deterred Art Sr. from getting on the plane? 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. A Tragic Plane Crash in 1970 Killed Most of Marshall's - Sportscasting Art Shannon, #34, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. It forever changed my life, Smith said. Slezak has realized how fickle life can be. 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. Tragedy struck Marshall University more than a half-century ago, when most of the school's football program was involved in a plane crash . "They were all crying, all these huge linemen," Mary Jane said. If her husband was too hard-nosed or too tough, those notions were dispelled in the days after her world was turned upside down. Copyright. William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Acting Head Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd MU Football team, 1st spring practice, April 1971, b&w. "At 21, you haven't been familiar with death. At age 69, the former Marshall defender calls himself a "traveling preacher." Four of the crash victims were students in her class, and Marshall faculty were sent to attend the funerals. We didn't have children, so she was like a child. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); He was the center. Libraries The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. Normally in that situation, the cheerleaders would draw straws to see who went. Back rfeads: 1st MU practice Spring 1971, Coach Red Dawson. He makes sure the Herd have a home game. [12] Lengyel led the Thundering Herd to a 933 record during his tenure, which ended after the 1974 season. Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. They further stated, "The Board has been unable to determine the reason for this [greater] descent, although the two most likely explanations are (a) improper use of cockpit instrumentation data, or (b) an altimetry system error. Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C.". Shannon died in the plane crash. His football will didn't come back quickly, but something has changed over the years. history". 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). [21] The ceremony featured guest speakers Dawson and Hardin. "As I listened to the scriptures," Carter said, "the Lord has purpose for each one of our lives.". This time, they decided if all couldn't go, none of them could go. She traveled to Washington, D.C. for the hearings that were supposed to explain the crash. 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. Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. Shortly thereafter, he surrendered his life to Christ. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. "Apparently, it was time God saw fit to call them.". On November 12, 1972, the Memorial Fountain was dedicated at the entrance of the Memorial Student Center. Of course, she misses her husband. The flight shouldve been nothing more than a formality, but the team would never reach their destination back in Huntington. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The return became the subject of the film, "We Are Marshall". On Friday, the 36 players who died in the crash received degrees from Marshall in their fields of study. Wayne County Democratic Sen. Robert Plymale was 15 at the time and was with friends in Kenova, near the airport. "We got her when she was 6 weeks old. 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. William Alfred "Red" Dawson was one of the best players Bobby Bowden ever saw. "We'd always rode buses.". 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. Bill to set annual remembrance for Marshall plane crash Its not an anniversary, but its a day to remember. While Wichita State ended its football program in 1986, Marshall carried on. "The reason it's survivor's guilt is because so many people changed their mind at the last minute," Call said. 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. The actual damage was incalculable. The Tolleys were ingrained in the community. The crew established radio contact with air traffic controllers at 7:23 pm with instructions to descend to 5,000ft (1,500m). In 2011, Frank Beamer directed the Virginia Tech team buses to detour on their way to Marshall's Joan C. Edwards Stadium. They stayed in Marshall for a fundraising event. A fireman on Nov. 15, 1970, looks over the wreckage of a DC-9 jet that crashed the day before on approach near a mountaintop airport a few miles from Huntington, W.Va. 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. He was the offensive tackle. Charles A. His life was spared that night a half century ago. Her life had become unhinged. Frank Hall Abbott Jr. 18 Mar 1923 - 14 Nov 1970. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, at 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. "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. He was the center. Dennis Foley was not on the plane, Bob Harris was killed in the plane crash. "For a long time, he couldn't handle it," Call said. 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. Aircraft and crew. He and the sycamore have aged well. Not surprisingly, Call will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's memorial. The report also noted that the craft approached the Catlettsburg Refinery in the final 30 seconds before impact, which "could haveaffecteda visual illusion produced by the difference in the elevation of the refinery and the airport," which was nearly 300ft (91m) higher than the refinery, with hills in between. [2][7] The plane burst into flames and created a swath of charred ground 95ft (29m) wide and 279ft (85m) long. They left behind six children who were being babysat by Dan DAntoni, a 23-year-old assistant with the Marshall basketball program in 1970. Suddenly, then-Lucianne Kautz was without a father. The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. On the flight, were 37 members of the football team, several coaches, fans and crew members totaling 75. With 37 players gone due to the horrific tragedy, the NCAA allowed Marshalls freshmen players to suit up the next season. "That's something I've never been able to get over because it was so wrong.". After the crash, Carter took a bus back to West Virginia. "All of them were fighting and arguing over each other about whose fault it was. Call is giddy talking about Marshall president Jerome Gilbert's initiative to award all 36 players their diplomas at a Friday afternoon ceremony. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. By JOHN RABY February 15, 2023. Plymale said his mother was a professor at Marshall. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Two years ago, Oliver, the personable quarterback, leaned back in a chair. Slezak believes Harris Sr. flew to the wrong city Greenville, South Carolina, instead of Greenville, North Carolina, where East Carolina is located. Frank Loria was one of Beamer's best friends. The plane descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude, striking trees on a hillside about one mile from the runway. I dont know what to call it.. This college football 1970s season article is a stub. Ferrum won the national junior college championship his first year there in 1965. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16729709-1']); There are so many stories of folks who either got a spot on the plane at the last minute or were bumped off. He became acting head coach in 1971, and formed the "Young Thundering Herd". 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Most of his teammates were gone, forever. "I kept thinking he [Arthur Sr.] would drive up in the car," said Maja Harris, Art Jr.s mother and Art Sr.s wife. [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. Her flight made it safely back to that same Tri-State Airport the Marshall plane never reached. Marshall Crash & History Photos | herald-dispatch.com He went recruiting. She feared for his safety. Football made sense to him.". | This event taught me how to celebrate someones life. Anniversaries are supposed to be happy, Slezak said from his home in New Mexico. Carter will be thinking about "thanking the Lord for his grace and mercy, watching over me and sparing my life." "You sissy," Dawson said. "Lord, the first time they asked me to speak at the anniversary, I was a mess," Dawson said. "The Lord has been good to me," he concluded. Art was All-State, he was sought out by every major college on the East Coast, Slezak remembered. That is certainly what was going to happen.". [1] The team played its home games at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. This flight was the only flight that year for the Marshall University football team. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . Cemetery Visibility: Public. "I got a call from our operations guy. One day, the wife of the head coach was in class. ". Marshall University honors the 75 lives lost in the 1970 plane crash tragedy during the 48th Annual Memorial Service on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018 . Across the nation, many expressed their condolences. "I can remember the hurt in my stomach like it was yesterday," Beamer said. 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. Saylor was killed in the plane crash. Thats what we are doing today.. They had met in Roanoke, Virginia, where she taught. (function() { 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 two played in the same defensive backfield for Virginia Tech in the late 1960s. DeBord died in the 1970 plane crash. Following its plane crash, Wichita State was granted similar permission to use freshmen on the varsity to resume its 1970 season. As part of an annual rite, the . "You have to realize he had to tell several, several players' families, all the ones that he recruited. "I asked her many, many times [why she urged him to stay] before she passed," Carter said. The Tolleys loved their German Shepherd. Mary Jane eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia. > Marshall decided to continue the football program. 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. In its second season under head coach Rick Tolley . Head coach Rick Tolley was among the crash victims. Private. "When the 14th of November comes around every year, all the worms and stuff start getting in your head," Dawson said. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. [2], The original proposal to charter the flight was refused because it would exceed "the takeoff limitations of their aircraft". 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]. "At 1 o'clock in the morning, a detective came to the door. No one will ever know exactly how Harris Sr. ended up on the plane. At that time, I thought I was a pretty bad-ass man.". Harris, I have bad news.' Accessibility Statement, Privacy 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. Harris died in the 1970 plane crash. The trip took 20 hours. "Red," Call said recently, "where you going to be buried?". 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. Its still considered the worst air disaster in American sports history. "Couldn't keep the tears out of my eyes. Among the 75 who perished were 36 players. Things were going swimmingly two weeks before the East Carolina game. Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options? Charlie had given his wife a manifest before he left. There were 64 children who became orphans after losing one or both parents on the flight. "He had a great future in front of him. Marshall Plane Crash Site Historical Marker - hmdb.org "He definitely had pro potential, no question," formerPassaiccoach John Federici, told The Record in 2001. 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. Back then, Bowden was the wide receivers coach. New Bern National Cemetery. Later in the season, Marshall also upset Bowling Green State, 12-10. 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. (AP Photo/John Raby, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news, left behind six children who were being babysat. 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. This plaza and this fountain are the heart of Marshall University, university President Jerome Gilbert said. 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. He was 37. 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. The dog's name was Sturmisch. She has made it her responsibility to track down pictures of all 75 victims for Saturday's memorial. She graduated from Marshall in 1971. He said,'Mrs. Inscription. - The Yeti Airlines flight with 68. Without any particular reason, Carter stayed. Rick Tolley had helped him with the plane ticket to get back home. Loria became Marshall's defensive backs coach in 1970. Dawson was retained by Tolley. 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). [3] The team was returning home after a 1714 loss to the East Carolina Pirates at Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina. A bunch of her husband's former linemen were lining the walls of her living room. 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. Officials sift through wreckage at the Marshall plane crash site, 1970. 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. Charges dropped against Georgia WR Rara Thomas, UCLA, Kelly agree to extension through 2027, Four Pac-12 programs renew contact with Big 12, NCAA committee approves new college football rules, Saban sounds off on proposed permanent opponents. The Harris family detailed thatevening in a 1995 article in The Record. 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. Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert Van Horn and Freddy Wilson had come from Druid High School. Nobody went anywhere.". An unfathomable 37 families were forced to mourn the death of their sons that fateful day. (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash") November 14th, 1970. "God is your pilot. MU_PLANE_CRASH. 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.