marshall plane crash victims list marshall plane crash victims list

Mary Jane eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia. Page of 4. "I didn't want anybody to see me crying. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing. He never did try to preach to me. According to the official National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, the accident was "unsurvivable". He became acting head coach in 1971, and formed the "Young Thundering Herd". 00:00 / 00:00. There are so many stories of folks who either got a spot on the plane at the last minute or were bumped off. The subsequent negotiations resulted in a reduction of the weight of passengers and baggage and the charter flight was scheduled. The crash took the lives of everyone on board -- the pilot, the first officer, two flight attendants, the charter coordinator, 24 Marshall University football fans, nine coaches and 37 players. He said, No, you keep your commitment, that is what you do, there will be other games, Slezak said. The trip took 20 hours. Harris, I have bad news.' The decision had already been made regarding cheerleaders for that trip. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Patient as an elementary school teacher but also unrelenting. If you play football at Marshall University, you have a role to make sure that's never forgotten.". Never defeated. 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. history.[6]. "Lord, the first time they asked me to speak at the anniversary, I was a mess," Dawson said. To be honest, when she told me, I didn't believe her because we had never had a plane trip.". 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Rosanna Blake Library of Confederate History, Jim "Shorty" Moss (Offensive Coordinator), Ed Starling (Assistant Director of Athletics), Mark J. Smaha (Assistant Athletic Trainer), Louis A. Peake (Assistant Athletic Trainer), James H. Wilson (Assistant Athletic Trainer), Mervin G. Black (Assistant Equipment Manager), Eugene Jones (Assistant Football Manager), Gerald Sieber (Assistant Football Manager), David W. Byrd (Student Equipment Manager), Special Collections, Morrow Library, 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. Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C. Among those who were not on the Marshall plane were Red Dawson, an assistant coach who was driving on a recruiting trip and was heading home when he learned about the crash. Slezak went to visit Marshall in 2011, saying it was on his bucket list. And then, after the game, if Slezak had been there, would that have deterred Art Sr. from getting on the plane? There was room for only a few of them on the plane to Kinston, North Carolina. February 15, 2023, 10:43 AM. 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. 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. [19], On November 11, 2000, the We Are Marshall Memorial Bronze was dedicated. Dave Griffith, #81, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. ". "He didn't tell anyone what he was going to do until the last minute," Hamrick said. Charlie had given his wife a manifest before he left. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 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. [2], The original proposal to charter the flight was refused because it would exceed "the takeoff limitations of their aircraft". The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshalls Huntington campus. He was the Athletic Director for MU. Dawson's brother had been recruited by Bryant, so there was a relationship. 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. Plymale said his mother was a professor at Marshall. 10:00 am ET. The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. "I always loved to fly," she said. Rick played football at nearby Virginia Tech. The inspiring story even made it to the big screen in 2006. "God is your pilot. Huntington, WV 25755. "He wasn't a real big guy, but I don't know how many ballcarriers he hit and knocked them back in the direction they came from," Beamer said. He returned to find a city, a university and a program in despair. The Tolleys loved their German Shepherd. Dawson was retained by Tolley. He was a linebacker. Beamer had brought a special Hokie Stone inscribed with Loria's name. I don't think I believed it.. Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. "It was horrible because it was a non-ending funeral. It's called survivor's guilt, the feeling of unfairly surviving an incident when others did not. Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C.". "It was just a little school in the hills," Mary Jane said. William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Acting Head Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd MU Football team, 1st spring practice, April 1971, b&w. It really sort of shapes the fiber in you, of what you are.. The NCAA made an exception for the Thundering Herd. Roy Slezak refuses to call it an anniversary. 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. "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. "It made you wretch," Brunner said, "and I did several times.". Fifty-two years ago, Huntington, West Virginia, was home to what has been called the worst disaster in United States sports history. Yes, we hurt, Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick said. Harris Jr. was named to The Bergen Records All-Century team for Passaic County. DeBord died in the 1970 plane crash. briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Libraries 50 years, McConaughey said Saturday on Twitter. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. 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. We Are Marshall starred Matthew McConaughey as Jack Lengyel, the head coach who took over the program in 1971. Trademarked and copyrighted images and insignia are the exclusive property of Marshall University. But that begs the very human question of why God spared him and not those on the plane? Charles Kautz is third from right, with tie. His life was spared that night a half century ago. DAntoni is now Marshalls basketball coach. [4][9], The effects of the crash on Huntington went far beyond the Marshall campus. The pair were listening to country music when the bulletin came across that a plane had crashed in Huntington. But football quickly drained from him after the crash. He was the offensive tackle. Four of the crash victims were students in her class, and Marshall faculty were sent to attend the funerals. Nash died in the 1970 plane crash. 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. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Carter will be thinking about "thanking the Lord for his grace and mercy, watching over me and sparing my life." Not only that, she happened to be on a flight during 9/11. 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. 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. In its second season under head coach Rick Tolley, the team compiled a 36 record and was outscored by a total of 202 to 138. Among those in the fountain audience were four football players from East Carolina who played in that 1970 game. "It was not a premonition. The plane descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude, striking trees on a hillside about one mile from the runway. "[7] The remains of six passengers were never identified. "Bobby got this corona[virus] thing and beat it.". It's categorized as a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Art could have played professional baseball or professional football.. Carter maintains he was spared because of God's providence. Reggie Oliver was an outgoing quarterback who eventually made his way into the Marshall hall of fame. 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). What they witnessed was dystopian. (JACK BURNETT/AP), "We carry on the legacy for them, but even after all those who were personally connected are gone, those guys still deserve to be remembered because it's just a travesty, what happened. We Are Marshall was the rallying cry for the Thundering Herds football program in 1970. "It was something the Lord gave her to tell me," Carter said. Insurance agents were annoying. One day, the wife of the head coach was in class. This goes deep, Plymale said. 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. This is believed to be a duplicate of the plane that crashed Nov. 14, 1970 carrying MU football team. He went to work one day and didn't come home.". _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); During that ceremony, Gilbert spoke eloquently about the 75 souls again. Lyndhurst's Tom Shoebridge, brother of crash victim Ted Shoebridge, and Elmwood Park's Keith Karl, a freshman on the 1970 Marshall team, join the show. The opponent was scheduled to be East Carolinathe same team that defeated Marshall before the disaster took place. The Mid-American Conference also expelled the team for similar offenses. Call is giddy talking about Marshall president Jerome Gilbert's initiative to award all 36 players their diplomas at a Friday afternoon ceremony. Loria became Marshall's defensive backs coach in 1970. The rebuilding was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starring Matthew McConaughey as Lengyel. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Patricia Smith was adopted and eventually, after exhaustive research, tracked down the identity of her father at age 30. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. FAQ [10], The crash of Flight 932 so devastated the local community that it almost led to the discontinuation of Marshall's football program. Later in the season, Marshall also upset Bowling Green State, 12-10. | Home - The Yeti Airlines flight with 68. The next day, Mary Jane was gone. Rick Tolley had helped him with the plane ticket to get back home. The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. And on Saturday, the 16th-ranked football team won, defeating Middle Tennessee 42-14. Private. An Equal Opportunity University. Marshall fans and residents of Huntington, W.V. "Nobody did anything. "The Lord has been good to me," he concluded. When it came time to return, Carter's mother Sarah urged him to stay at home. Memorial Fountain on the Marshall University campus, dedicated in 1972. Frank Hall Abbott Jr. 18 Mar 1923 - 14 Nov 1970. I realized I had been wrong about that.". We'll look at what happened to the Marshall University football program as a . These are some of their stories, 50 years later. "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Lives were shattered. })(); (aka "The Marshall University Football Team Crash"). After the plane crash, she became the only thing that I had.". Druid High School football players sign grants-in-aid with Marshall in the spring of 1969. The rest were pilots, crew, coaches, administrators, boosters and business leaders. ", "I just generally felt we lost a great Hokie that day," Beamer said. They couldn't take the tough routine. > 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. "Just a very smart guy. Marshall University honors the 75 lives lost in the 1970 plane crash tragedy during the 48th Annual Memorial Service on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018 . 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. Scott Jenkins. Couldn't keep my voice straight. [20], On December 11, 2006, a memorial plaque was dedicated at the plane crash site. Art Harris, #22, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. One John Marshall Drive, Marshall Plane Crash Site Marker. December 10, 2006 Herald-Dispatch [Huntington]. The two had breakfast together and talked for hours. "I'm still wondering why.". [12] Lengyel led the Thundering Herd to a 933 record during his tenure, which ended after the 1974 season. Copyright. [4] By the time the plane came to a stop, it was 4,219ft (1,286m) short of the runway and 275ft (84m) south of the middle marker. He will speak at the annual memorial on Saturday like he has now for years. Rick Tolley is behind him. Classes at Marshall, along with numerous events and shows by the Marshall Artists Series (and the football team's game against the Ohio Bobcats), were cancelled and government offices were closed. In its second season under head coach Rick Tolley . Among the 75 who perished were 36 players. They stayed in Marshall for a fundraising event. Ferrum won the national junior college championship his first year there in 1965. [16] The sculpture's designer, Harry Bertoia, created the $25,000 memorial that incorporated bronze, copper tubing, and welding rods. He was the center. White roses were laid by the fountain as each victims name was read at the ceremony. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . "Al" Saylor, #88,1970 MU Football team, Charles Kautz, MU A/D and coaches, 1970 MU football team, Dave Griffith, #81, 1970 MU Football team. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The solemn ceremony was held around a fountain dedicated to the crash victims on Marshall's Huntington campus. Digitized University Archives Collections "I believe I want to be buried up there with my boys," Dawson said. What good is it going to do anybody?' Three-and-a-half years after the crash in 1974, Carter was working with Carl Hewlett, a former Marshall pitcher. Her life had become unhinged. He was 37. "For a long time, he couldn't handle it," Call said. Marshall coach Rick Tolley demonstrating a move to team captain Dave Griffith, Mike Blake and Dave DeBord (left to right) in 1970. Hokie Stone is the native Virginia limestone that makes up many of the buildings on the Virginia Tech campus. Memorial at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia to the victims of the 1970 plane crash. Bear Bryant called Dawson, recommending them. At 7:34pm, the airliner's crew reported passing Tri-State Airport's outer marker. "We stayed friends forever," Dawson said proudly. Six weeks before the Marshall tragedy, a plane carrying members of the Wichita State football team crashed in Colorado, killing 31 people. 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. Aircraft and crew. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. 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 was an overwhelming responsibility.". All except team chaplain Robert Scott. 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. Page 1. Most of his teammates were gone, forever. It was unveiled to thousands 90 minutes before the game with the Miami University RedHawks. [25], The events of the crash are documented in an episode of Aircrash Confidential titled "Disastrous Descents".[27]. It was raining hard, and he remembered seeing ambulances speeding past the group. Among them were Dr. Ray Hagley, who was a Marshall team physician, and his wife. Digital Collections "Oh sure, you ask yourself, 'Why did I miss it and all my friends and coaches were killed?' Hill died in the 1970 plane crash. On Friday, the 36 players who died in the crash received degrees from Marshall in their fields of study. 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). Tolley's grave was moved up there a few years ago. "That's something I've never been able to get over because it was so wrong.". "My mom got on the phone, and then she just passed out, said Carolyn Harris, the youngest daughter. I couldn't go to all of them. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. Marshall University, 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. That day nine years ago, "Frank Beamer became a very special person in my mind," Hamrick said. Digitized University Archives Collections. In the transcript of their cockpit communications in the final minutes, the pilots briefly debated that their autopilot had "captured" for a glide slope descent, although the airport was only equipped with a localizer. The Marshall football team tragedy remains one of the saddest sports stories of all time. I told him, 'I'm afraid those guys are going to hate you because you're so hard on them.' "The reason it's survivor's guilt is because so many people changed their mind at the last minute," Call said. 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. The two didn't get along, according to Dawson. But the town came back.. But as a freshman in 1970, Oliver didn't travel. In the days before instant news, the fog of tragedy took time to lift. In 2000, at age 50, Call became a flight attendant with USAir Express. 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. Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. " Carter said. Football made sense to him.". But I already knew. Yolanda Shoebridge, the mother ofTed Shoebridge, called the Harris home on Linden Street. Marshall is ranked No. Spring Hill Cemetery, site of the Marshall Memorial for the 75 plane crash victims. (function() { The airport was not properly equipped. Harris' father, Art Sr., was one of the fans on the plane. 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 teammates liked the Tuscaloosa boys unbelievably," Dawson said, "especially when Reggie got there.". ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? "Apparently, it was time God saw fit to call them.". 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. All three were killed in the plane crash. In 2006, Hollywood turned that inspiring slogan into one of the greatest sports movies ever made. Skeens was killed in the plane crash. Hamrick's future wife, Soletta, was in Mary Jane's sixth-grade home room back then. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegefootball | pageType: stories |