But the town came back.. 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. "All of them were fighting and arguing over each other about whose fault it was. They arrived shortly before sunrise. The town died. No one could have imagined how deep a downward spiral Marshall University's football program would face in the late 1960's. Libraries On November 12, 1972, the Memorial Fountain was dedicated at the entrance of the Memorial Student Center. section: | slug: they-are-marshall-50-years-after-the-plane-crash-those-closest-to-the-tragedy-are-still-healing | sport: collegefootball | route: article_single.us | He became acting head coach in 1971, and formed the "Young Thundering Herd". Al Carelli, Jr., Assistant coach, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. "We'd always rode buses.". 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, I have bad news.' He played Defensive end. I dont know what to call it.. 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. "Red," Call said recently, "where you going to be buried?". 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. Southern Airways DC-9, similiar to plane that crashed with MU footballt team, col. (low-res digital image only). 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. Instead, the descent continued for another 300ft (91m) for unknown reasons, apparently without either crew member actually seeing the airport lights or runway. Loria had been a two-time All-American at Virginia Tech. Home Banners will be raised across the Marshall campus bearing their images. Dave Griffith, #81, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Hill died in the 1970 plane crash. The next day, Mary Jane was gone. Her life had become unhinged. Slezak went to visit Marshall in 2011, saying it was on his bucket list. Harris Jr. was named to The Bergen Records All-Century team for Passaic County. Charles Kautz, MU A/D and coaches, 1970 MU football team, b&w. Dawson goes to games again. The team originally planned to cancel the flight, but changed plans and chartered the Southern Airways DC-9. Couldn't keep my voice straight. " Carter said. "The Lord has been good to me," he concluded. Marshall University, There was no playbook, and nobody had been in that position before.". William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Acting Head Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd MU Football team, 1st spring practice, April 1971, b&w. Plymale said his mother was a professor at Marshall. Marshall's Plane Crash Happened 52 Years Ago, But the Memory Still Remains. He has followed Marshall football all his lifeand makes a video tribute for his friend every year. Memorial at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia to the victims of the 1970 plane crash. Frank Loria is third from left. I just hung up the phone. "He said: 'Your husband is in the plane, too.' A bunch of her husband's former linemen were lining the walls of her living room. The crew established radio contact with air traffic controllers at 7:23 pm with instructions to descend to 5,000ft (1,500m). Members of the current team also visited a nearby cemetery, where six players from the 1970 team whose bodies were never identified were buried. They met once a year, Red Dawson and the sycamore tree he picked out that was large enough to hide behind. 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. "You have to realize he had to tell several, several players' families, all the ones that he recruited. "They were just so wonderful. Dawson's brother had been recruited by Bryant, so there was a relationship. "It wasn't losing faith," she said. That's German for "stormy." It's more than that, of course. In 2011, Frank Beamer directed the Virginia Tech team buses to detour on their way to Marshall's Joan C. Edwards Stadium. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. It was impossible for the remaining Marshall players to forget about their fallen teammates, but they had to when the 1971 season approached. People would come to the house and say this was meant to happen. That game did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nobody went anywhere.". 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. As part of an annual rite, the . What good is it going to do anybody?' Druid High School football players sign grants-in-aid with Marshall in the spring of 1969. This is believed to be a duplicate of the plane that crashed Nov. 14, 1970 carrying MU football team. 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 Universitys football team. He went recruiting. Dawson came out of the shadows long ago to embrace Nov. 14. Art Shannon, #34, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. "I didn't do anything except for fishing, hunting and construction work," he said. Just before 8 pm, the plane crashed into a hill two miles from the Tri-State Airport in Kenova, W.V., where everyone on aboard were killed on impact. 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. 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. A mass funeral was held at the field house and many of the dead were buried at the Spring Hill Cemetery, some together because bodies were not identifiable. He was also the offensive line coach. An unfathomable 37 families were forced to mourn the death of their sons that fateful day. The tragedy shocked the town of Huntington in the worst way imaginable. The following offseason, Dawson went to a national coaching convention. 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. Of course, she misses her husband. Dawson was retained by Tolley. 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. I don't think I believed it.. The 6500 lb, 13 ft-high (2900 kg, 4 m-high) sculpture was completed within a year and a half. From there, he could see them talk, cry, even reminisce about the largest air disaster in United States sports history. 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. I told him, 'I'm afraid those guys are going to hate you because you're so hard on them.' Tolley gladly gave Carter time off -- even bought him the plane ticket -- to travel back to bury his father. 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. "I took the phone, but Mrs. Shoebridge was crying hysterically. Charlie had given his wife a manifest before he left. Insurance agents were annoying. To make matters worse, Marshall was placed on probation by the NCAA because of recruiting violations and alleged payments to its players, the Daily News reported at the time. Largemouth bass were Tolley's favorite. Holliday wants to make a date to come out and hunt turkeys on Dawson's 400 acres outside of town. Fr. 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 team and residents of the town still gather together every year in memorial of the fallen fellows. "She was wonderful," Mary Jane Tolley said of Sturmisch. 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. Frank Hall Abbott Jr. 18 Mar 1923 - 14 Nov 1970. Among the 75 who perished were 36 players. I realized I had been wrong about that.". 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. On November 14, 1970, the team was flying back from a game against East Carolina. The Ceredo and Kenova fire departments were recognized at the event. And on Saturday, the 16th-ranked football team won, defeating Middle Tennessee 42-14. "'The phrase is about respect, and it makes you realize you can't take anything for granted. Across the nation, many expressed their condolences. "God has a time for each one of us," Carter said. [24], Marshall was scheduled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the air disaster in their football season opener on August 29, 2020. No one prepared her for what was next. While Wichita State ended its football program in 1986, Marshall carried on. 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. The Tolleys were ingrained in the community. "I asked her many, many times [why she urged him to stay] before she passed," Carter said. 2023 Marshall University. "People still talk about that," Hamrick said. 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. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Allen Gene Skeens, #59, 1970 MU Football team, b&w. Normally in that situation, the cheerleaders would draw straws to see who went. The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. "Kenova to dedicate crash memorial Monday." [4] The following Saturday, another memorial service was held at the outdoor, 18,000-seat Fairfield Stadium. (East Carolina is located nearby in Greenville.) He recalled talking at length with some of his counterparts at Wichita State, and how they leaned on each other for support. This is not what you wanted to hear. Football made sense to him.". They had met in Roanoke, Virginia, where she taught. Memorial Fountain on the Marshall University campus, dedicated in 1972. 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. briefly mourned after the 17-14 defeat, but what happened after the game shook the school and the town to its core. He will speak at the annual memorial on Saturday like he has now for years. The official cause for the crash was either altimeter malfunction or pilot error. He and the sycamore have aged well. "[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. FAQ Marshall University. Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. 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. When Lengyel was hired as Tolley's replacement, Dawson stayed but only for a while. His body could not be identified, and with five other players, they were all buried. Sort By. But for the university and the entire community, it left a huge void. 1970 aviation accident in West Virginia, United States, A Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident, Pinkston, Antwon. "My wonder was, 'Why? var _gaq = _gaq || []; > Frank Loria was one of Beamer's best friends. No one will ever know exactly how Harris Sr. ended up on the plane. 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. "They were all crying, all these huge linemen," Mary Jane said. (JACK BURNETT/AP) When police needed a list of those on the plane, they came to the Kautzes' home. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. New Bern National Cemetery. [4] The controllers advised the crew that "rain, fog, smoke and a ragged ceiling" were at the airport, making landing more difficult, but possible. "[7] The remains of six passengers were never identified. The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. Carter read his own obituary the next day in the local newspaper. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, at There is still a hint of that strapping tight end's body. The controller gave them clearance to land. 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. 16 and undefeated at 6-0. Shannon died in the plane crash. That included 37 Marshall football players, 25 team boosters, multiple coaches and team doctors, and Marshalls athletic director. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. There was no reason to be around. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. Back then, Bowden was the wide receivers coach. [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. Mary Jane was persistent. Carter hardly knew anyone on the team who carried on. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive), "'We Are Marshall' just stuck," Smith said. Yes, we grieve. On Saturday, it will be Middle Tennessee State. They couldn't take the tough routine. "Where nobody could see me," Dawson said of his hiding spot. All six players would later be put to rest underground at the Spring Hill Cemetery just near Marshall University. I made a promise to Mrs. Harris that he would never be forgotten.. | Reggie Oliver was an outgoing quarterback who eventually made his way into the Marshall hall of fame. Beamer was at his wife-to-be's home that November night. "I believe I want to be buried up there with my boys," Dawson said. The actual damage was incalculable. 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". Former Marshall cheerleader Lucianne Kautz Call lost her father, Charlie E. Kautz, who was the universitys athletic director. But I already knew. The tragedy was depicted in the movie We Are Marshall (2006) and the documentary film Marshall University: Ashes to Glory (2000). "It was losing faith in these ministers. All were qualified for the flight. Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. His close friend and neighbor, Art Harris Jr., was one of the Marshall players who died. At age 69, the former Marshall defender calls himself a "traveling preacher." In the teams first home game since the plane crash, Marshall put together one of the most inspiring performances in sports history. His body was not identified and he is buried with five other unidentified players in the Springhill Cemetery. He was a linebacker. All three were killed in the plane crash. The opponent was scheduled to be East Carolinathe same team that defeated Marshall before the disaster took place. Roy Slezak refuses to call it an anniversary. Art was All-State, he was sought out by every major college on the East Coast, Slezak remembered. Woelfel, who had a speaking part in the movie, said it brought a lot of people back together to deal with the loss and they did it collectively. It slipped out from underneath him, according to Dawson, and Oliver hit his head. And then, after the game, if Slezak had been there, would that have deterred Art Sr. from getting on the plane? Things were going swimmingly two weeks before the East Carolina game. In 2000, at age 50, Call became a flight attendant with USAir Express. He was the center. They all had said great things about him. It all began with a three-year long losing streak from season 1966-69. Some who were left off the flight, did not make the trip or lost loved ones spent the next five decades with crippling questions that had no answers. The Lord watched over me so that he could save me and put me in the ministry to serve him.". To this day, she isn't satisfied. All 75 people on board died. Not surprisingly, Call will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's memorial. 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. 77 memorials. After a year as Wake Forest's defensive line coach, Tolley was hired at Marshall in 1969. (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. [12] Lengyel led the Thundering Herd to a 933 record during his tenure, which ended after the 1974 season. Two weeks before the release of the movie, Call was diagnosed with colon cancer. That is certainly what was going to happen.". They even won a couple of games. Beamer had brought a special Hokie Stone inscribed with Loria's name. Bobby Joe Hill, #41,1970 MU Football team, b&w. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. 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. The crash was the worst in American sports history. 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.