After a tough loss in Greenville, North Carolina, Marshall University fans, football team, and staff boarded a flight departing for Huntington, WV on November 14, 1970. The plane crashed at this location as it was approaching the Huntington Airport, and the lives of 75 people were lost in the worst single air tragedy in NCAA sports history. This forever changed the small university community of Huntington, the Marshall football program, and the families of those who lost loved ones on that fateful day.The historical marker is located in Huntington, West Virginia, in Wayne County. It was mounted at the crash site on December 11, 2006. The installation was inspired by Sally Plymale, a former Marshall University instructor. It displays a plaque detailing the events of the crash, as well as providing a small extended platform for viewers to overlook the hillside where it occurred.
The Marshall Hall of Fame Café is restaurant and museum dedicated to the sports history of Marshall University. It stands as a memorial to the players, coaches, and fans who died in the tragic plane crash on November 14, 1970. The Hall of Fame Café serves as a museum to all Marshall University sports teams spanning the athletic history of the university. The artifacts and memorabilia are kept well preserved here for the generations to come and for then people of Huntington, West Virginia to learn and admire.
Designed by artist Harry Bertoia and dedicated in 1972, this fountain pays tribute to the victims of the 1970 Marshall University Plane Crash and the resilience of the university community. Built of welded copper and bronze tubes, the fountain is meant to represent life and upward growth. It stands in the middle of the Memorial Student Center plaza and serves as one of the major landmarks on campus. Marshall holds a memorial ceremony here each year on November 14, the anniversary of the crash. During the ceremony, the fountain is turned off in remembrance of the 75 who perished that day. The two audio files embedded within this entry include portions of speeches given at the dedication of the fountain and reflections from members of the Marshall University community.
The Marshall University Memorial Student Center opened in 1971 to provide students with a place to socialize, rest, and study on campus. It replaced an older facility, the Shawkey Student Union, that had been in use since 1933. The MSC was named in honor of the victims of the November 14, 1970 plane crash and serves as a living memorial. Today it houses a food court, lounge areas, the campus bookstore, a recreational area, various offices, and several meeting rooms, dining halls, and event spaces.
This is the site of the Old Fairfield stadium which served as the home field for Marshall University football from the stadium's first game on September 22, 1928 until its final game on November 10, 1990. Fairfield was the home field for the Marshall football team that lost their lives in the tragic plane crash in 1970. This was also the field where head coach Jack Lengyel began the process of rebuilding Marshall's football program. The team now plays their home games at Joan C. Edward’s stadium along 5th avenue, and the Erma Byrd Clinic, built in 2007, stands in Fairfield Stadium’s old location.
This granite cenotaph at Spring Hill Cemetery pays tribute to the 1970 Marshall University Football team and others who perished on November 14, 1970. After a tough loss in Greenville, North Carolina, Marshall University fans, football team, and staff boarded a flight departing for Huntington, WV. The plane crashed as it was approaching the Huntington Airport, and the lives of 75 people were lost in the worst single air tragedy in NCAA sports history. This tragic event would change Huntington and Marshall University forever.
Joan C. Edwards Stadium is the current football stadium for the Marshall University Thundering Herd. The $30 million stadium opened in 1991 and replaced the old Fairfield Stadium that was in use from 1928 to 1990. The Joan C. Edwards Stadium has hosted seven I-AA NCAA National Championships and five Mid-American Conference Championships, and is one of two Division I NCAA Football stadiums that are named after women. It contains seating for around 38,000 people, as well as twenty indoor sky suites.The Shewey Athletics Building is connected to the stadium and houses athletic offices.
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Marshall University was forever changed on November 14, 1970 when Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed and killed all 75 people on board, including many members and fans of the Marshall Thundering Herd football team. This tour takes you to many of the memorials and monuments honoring the victims of the darkest chapter in Marshall's history.
