Man, I was digging through some old history stuff today, and stumbled upon something really wild – the 1970 Marshall Thundering Herd football team’s story. I mean, this is some heavy stuff, right?
So I started by just Googling the team’s name, trying to get a basic idea of what I was dealing with. Turns out, this wasn’t just any team – it was a team that went through something you wouldn’t wish on anyone. The first thing that popped up was this bit about a plane crash. November 14, 1970. A Southern Airways plane went down, and boom, 75 people gone. Among them, 37 players from the Marshall University football team. Can you believe that? I couldn’t. So, I kept digging.
I moved on to read about how this crash was the biggest sports-related tragedy in U.S. history. Imagine that, the deadliest ever. It hit me hard. I found out they built a Memorial Fountain in 1972. Must be a tough sight to see, a reminder of what was lost.
- Diving into the details: I found myself reading more about that day. The team was flying back from a game against East Carolina. They were close to the Tri-State Airport in West Virginia, and then disaster struck. The plane crashed into a hill. Everyone on board, including the coaching staff, gone just like that. It’s one of those stories that make you stop and think, you know?
- Looking for more: I wasn’t satisfied, so I looked up the team’s record for that year. They were 3-6. Not great, but that’s not the point, is it? The point is what these guys went through. I also read about the head coach, Rick Tolley, and the offensive coordinator, Jim “Shorty” Moss – both lost in the crash. There was also a mention of Red Dawson, the defensive coordinator, who wasn’t on the plane. Luck? Fate? I don’t know.
- Personal reflection: I even stumbled upon this fact that the whole thing inspired a movie, “We Are Marshall,” which came out in 2006. I haven’t seen it yet, but I definitely will now.
It’s crazy how you can just be going about your day, and then you come across a story like this. It really puts things into perspective. All those lives lost, the impact on their families, the community… it’s just a lot to take in.
After spending hours reading and thinking about it, I decided I had to share this with you guys. It’s not just a story about a football team, it’s about loss, remembrance, and how a community deals with an unimaginable tragedy. This whole deep dive started with a simple search about a football team, and it turned into an emotional history lesson. I guess that’s the power of stories, right? They can take you places you never expected to go.
I’ll keep this one in my memory for a long time, and I think it’s important for us to remember these events, to honor those who were lost. I hope this has made your day, maybe not a happy one but a reflective one. Thanks for reading!
