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Special Collections Suddenly, then-Lucianne Kautz was without a father. On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and . 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. He will speak at the annual memorial on Saturday like he has now for years. He wanted them to learn about the Frank Loria he admired so much. Dawson eventually became a successful construction company owner. He was taken away way too soon.". Frank got the whole team out and they went up and placed that Hokie Stone on the memorial. Memorial newspaper page from The Herald-Advertiser. "God has a time for each one of us," Carter said. 10:00 am ET. In its second season under head coach Rick Tolley . He recalled talking at length with some of his counterparts at Wichita State, and how they leaned on each other for support. The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5. . It slipped out from underneath him, according to Dawson, and Oliver hit his head. William Alfred "Red" Dawson, Acting Head Coach, 1971 Young Thundering Herd MU Football team, 1st spring practice, April 1971, b&w. Charles Kautz, MU A/D and coaches, 1970 MU football team, b&w. Carter wants everyone to know God chose him to survive for that purpose. He said,'Mrs. [16] The sculpture's designer, Harry Bertoia, created the $25,000 memorial that incorporated bronze, copper tubing, and welding rods. At 7:34pm, the airliner's crew reported passing Tri-State Airport's outer marker. There were 64 children who became orphans after losing one or both parents on the flight. Her life had become unhinged. 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. Carter maintains he was spared because of God's providence. Dawson played tight end for Bill Peterson in the early 1960s at Florida State. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. "He had a great future in front of him. That's German for "stormy." Football seeped out of his life. The controller gave them clearance to land. As a memorial to the 75 victims, the Marshall players wore the number 75 on their helmets. They couldn't see. 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. 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. 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. Druid High School football players sign grants-in-aid with Marshall in the spring of 1969. Marshall coach Doc Holliday invited him to speak to the team. Once again, on Saturday, Dawson will speak at the fountain ceremony. "We'd always rode buses.". Artwork by Eugene Payne, Staff Artist, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, N.C. Two years ago, Oliver, the personable quarterback, leaned back in a chair. During that ceremony, Gilbert spoke eloquently about the 75 souls again. "I believe I want to be buried up there with my boys," Dawson said. When he passed, Loria's wife was pregnant with Frank Loria Jr. Beamer guided the buses to the memorial. He makes sure the Herd have a home game. "My wonder was, 'Why? Southern Airways Flight 932 was a chartered Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 domestic United States commercial jet flight from Stallings Field (ISO) in Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS) near Kenova and Ceredo, West Virginia. It's categorized as a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The report additionally notes, "Most of the fuselage was melted or reduced to a powder-like substance; however, several large pieces were scattered throughout the burned area. I made a promise to Mrs. Harris that he would never be forgotten.. His football will didn't come back quickly, but something has changed over the years. 16 and undefeated at 6-0. Then success occurred in streaks. 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]. While Wichita State ended its football program in 1986, Marshall carried on. Reggie Oliver was an outgoing quarterback who eventually made his way into the Marshall hall of fame. Banners will be raised across the Marshall campus bearing their images. This goes deep, Plymale said. The airliner's crew was Captain Frank Abbot (47), First Officer Jerry Smith (28), plus two flight attendants. ", "This was a city, the largest in the state, that literally went into a four-day state of shock," Brunner said. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda.". In 2000, at age 50, Call became a flight attendant with USAir Express. Insurance agents were annoying. White roses were laid by the fountain as each victims name was read at the ceremony. "There are a ton of people out there still hurting and still in pain and still every day of their lives, as soon as their eyes open in the morning, that's the first thing they think about because their 18 year-old son was killed," Smith said. . The NCAA repealed that prohibition at its annual convention in January 1972. The airport was not properly equipped. There is still a hint of that strapping tight end's body. (function() { The victims included 36 football players and 39 school administrators, coaches, fans, spouses and flight crew. > No one prepared her for what was next. The Lord watched over me so that he could save me and put me in the ministry to serve him.". DeBord died in the 1970 plane crash. She spoke of her husband's early days as an assistant at Ferrum Junior College in Virginia. [12] Lengyel was named to take Tolley's place on March 12, 1971, after Dick Bestwick, the first choice for the job, backed out after just one week and returned to Georgia Tech. "Kenova to dedicate crash memorial Monday." They met once a year, Red Dawson and the sycamore tree he picked out that was large enough to hide behind. Im glad that were going to honor them for each year in this way from here on out.. Patricia Smith was adopted and eventually, after exhaustive research, tracked down the identity of her father at age 30. Carter can't recall how a Marshall assistant found his film in the late 1960s. var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; The weather conditions were poor, mist and light rain with broken clouds at 500 feet. They even won a couple of games. For Slezak, a retired banker/computer engineer, Saturday's 50th anniversary of the crash is an emotional occasion. That game did not occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 37 of them were members of the football team. Frank Loria is third from left. From there, he could see them talk, cry, even reminisce about the largest air disaster in United States sports history. Every one of the 75 people on board died in the crash. I didn't know what to do. According to the official National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, the accident was "unsurvivable". Among the losses were nearly the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, flight crew, numerous fans, and supporters. He has followed Marshall football all his lifeand makes a video tribute for his friend every year. "God is your pilot. Marshall football plane crash was 50 years ago, but victim's friend can't forget that day. [4][9], The effects of the crash on Huntington went far beyond the Marshall campus. Dennis Foley was not on the plane, Bob Harris was killed in the plane crash. That day nine years ago, "Frank Beamer became a very special person in my mind," Hamrick said. "For a long time, he couldn't handle it," Call said. Hamrick's future wife, Soletta, was in Mary Jane's sixth-grade home room back then. Marshall won just two games, and the first winning season didnt come for another 13 years. That included 37 Marshall football players, 25 team boosters, multiple coaches and team doctors, and Marshalls athletic director. While in the air, the plane struck a tree on a tall hill and crashed to the ground. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. After an 0-9-1 season and investigation that ended with Marshall being kicked out of the MAC, Moss was gone. [4] The following Saturday, another memorial service was held at the outdoor, 18,000-seat Fairfield Stadium. The Tolleys loved their German Shepherd. New Bern National Cemetery. He was like a sounding board.". On Nov. 14, 1970, the chartered jet crashed in fog and rain into a hillside upon approach to an airport near Huntington as the team was returning from a game at East Carolina, killing all 75 on board. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. Beamer had brought a special Hokie Stone inscribed with Loria's name. Charlie Kautz had lived long enough to give away Lucianne at her wedding only five months earlier. 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. The rebuilding of the football program was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starting Matthew McConaughey. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. "People still talk about that," Hamrick said. Mary Jane was the perfect coach's wife. Most of his teammates were gone, forever. (JACK BURNETT/AP) The five Southern Airlines employees also died in the crash. "I'm sure you can pretty much figure that one out," said Mary Jane Tolley, wife of head coach Rick Tolley, who died in the crash. 1. 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. [10], The crash of Flight 932 so devastated the local community that it almost led to the discontinuation of Marshall's football program. [11] Dawson was a coach from the previous staff who had driven back from the East Carolina game along with Gail Parker, a freshman coach. 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. Home Things were going swimmingly two weeks before the East Carolina game. Harris Jr. was named to The Bergen Records All-Century team for Passaic County. Loria had been a two-time All-American at Virginia Tech. With 37 players gone due to the horrific tragedy, the NCAA allowed Marshalls freshmen players to suit up the next season. Although the airport runway has since been lengthened past its original threshold, making historical measurements more difficult, the NTSB official report provides, "the accident occurred during hours of darkness at 38 22' 27" N. latitude and 82 34' 42" W. It was donated to the university by Marshall fans and is attached to Joan C. Edwards Stadium on the west faade. In the days before instant news, the fog of tragedy took time to lift. "I didn't do anything except for fishing, hunting and construction work," he said. Copyright. It was a rainy night. 77 memorials. At that time, I thought I was a pretty bad-ass man.". Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. ". "You're not supposed to let people see you cry.". I knew as soon as I saw the police car. He went to work one day and didn't come home.". They stayed in Marshall for a fundraising event. "[7] The airliner left Stallings Field at Kinston, North Carolina, and the flight proceeded to Huntington without incident. "He was a tremendous athlete who could do it all. Southern Airways DC-9, similiar to plane that crashed with MU footballt team, col. (low-res digital image only). Art was All-State, he was sought out by every major college on the East Coast, Slezak remembered. A memorial bell tower is being planned for a location on WV 75 near exit 1 along Interstate 64. He was the center. Huntington, WV 25755. Patient as an elementary school teacher but also unrelenting. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. 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. Rick Tolley is behind him. It is based upon ideas by John and Ann Krieger of Huntington. Slezak bought a wreath and some rose petals for the crash site and remembers how the store didnt want to let him pay for the items when he said what they were for. He hid behind that sycamore each Nov. 14 for 20 years or so afterward because it hid him from the speeches, the families, the orphans, maybe his own remorse. 75 members, coaches, and fans were killed in November 1970 plane crash. The plane descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude, striking trees on a hillside about one mile from the runway. Charles Kautz, 1970 MU Athletic Director, b&w. Spring Hill Cemetery, site of the Marshall Memorial for the 75 plane crash victims. 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. Back then, Bowden was the wide receivers coach. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- 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 . [4] The controllers advised the crew that "rain, fog, smoke and a ragged ceiling" were at the airport, making landing more difficult, but possible. At age 78, there's a part of Dawson that questions whether fate is the lone reason he is not among those being memorialized rather than those observing it. 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. But that begs the very human question of why God spared him and not those on the plane? Without an official designation, she has become the best historian of the events of 50 years ago. Digital Collections By JOHN RABY February 15, 2023. The two played in the same defensive backfield for Virginia Tech in the late 1960s. One John Marshall Drive, It was impossible for the remaining Marshall players to forget about their fallen teammates, but they had to when the 1971 season approached. Mary Jane eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia. "They were all crying, all these huge linemen," Mary Jane said. [21] The ceremony featured guest speakers Dawson and Hardin. It was a funeral that never stopped. Dawson was retained by Tolley. She traveled to Washington, D.C. for the hearings that were supposed to explain the crash. Pure chance, some cases. The rebuilding was the subject of the 2006 movie We are Marshall starring Matthew McConaughey as Lengyel. 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. [22], 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 a hillside nearby.The victims included 36 Marshall University football players, 9 coaches and administrators, 25 fans and air crew of 5.No one survived this horrific disaster.[1]. When Lengyel was hired as Tolley's replacement, Dawson stayed but only for a while. [8], The board made three recommendations as a result of this accident, including recommendations for heads-up displays, ground proximity warning devices, and surveillance and inspection of flight operations. "Bobby got this corona[virus] thing and beat it.". Marshall University, His close friend and neighbor, Art Harris Jr., was one of the Marshall players who died. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive), "'We Are Marshall' just stuck," Smith said. Yes, we grieve. He was a linebacker. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. | "[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. [2][7] The plane burst into flames and created a swath of charred ground 95ft (29m) wide and 279ft (85m) long.