Growing up in Huntington, West Virginia, I was a Marshall University Thundering Herd football fan. In 1970 the Marshall University football team was flying home from a game against East Carolina. My brother and I had listened to some of the game that day on radio. That night as the football team was flying into Tri-State Airport in Huntington, West Virginia, the plane crashed into the side of the hill in which the airport sits on top. It was a tragic incident that killed all 75 people on board. There were coaches, players, parents and sport announcers. There were 28 children in Huntington that lost one or more of their parents that day. It impacted the community in a profound way.
I was nine years old when it happened and I can still remember the day and where I was that night when we saw the news bulletin flash on television. We were visiting my Uncle Garland and Aunt Francis in Ironton, Ohio which is about 45 minutes Northwest of Huntington. The night was foggy and rainy and it was a long ride home as we listened in the car to the radio reports of the tragedy.
Today the movie We Are Marshall came out on DVD. It is a great movie. I highly recommend it to all. There are many lessons that can be learned through this true story.
The movie brought back a lot of memories and feelings to me and my wife Becky when we first saw it in the theater. We shed tears as we watched. I was born in Chicago, Illinois but was raised in Huntington. Becky was born and raised in Huntington.
As a child, I watched the football games at the old Fairfield Stadium on 16th Street in Huntington. I was a big fan and never gave up hope on the Thundering Herd. A lot of years it was hard to watch as they struggled to rebuild a football program from scratch; winning only nine games in the 70's after the plane crash. They did not have a winning season until 1984, but the school, the team and the community never gave up.
Perseverance prevailed for the school, team and community. After the 1984 winning season, the herd went on to win two national championships, five conference championships and five straight bowl games. In the 1990's, I attended with my dad and son, the two national championship games that Marshall won in their new stadium. In my office, I have a large picture hanging of the 1996 Championship Game that Marshall won over Montana 49-29. I personally saw Marshall Stars and now NFL players like Tim Brown, Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, and Randy Moss play in that stadium. Chad, Byron and Randy were all Heisman Trophy final four candidates.
I graduated from Marshall University in 1983. On November 5, 2006, I went back and ran the 3rd Annual Marshall University Marathon. I wanted the Marshall University Marathon to be my first one and I traveled 2,500 miles from my home on the west coast to run it. The last bit of the marathon went through the campus and past the memorial fountain that was built in memory of the plane crash. As I entered the campus running, I was handed a carnation. As I ran by the memorial fountain, I left the carnation there as I felt the tears begin to well up in my eyes and the chill bumps come over my body. It was a special moment for me. As a student, I walked by the fountain almost every school day for four years and remembered the families that were impacted that rainy night in November 1970. Than I ran into the stadium where I watched so many games and where I witnessed Marshall win two national titles. The last hundred yards, I was given a football. I ran down the middle of the field and into the end zone and across the finish line. I can not put into words the feelings I had as I crossed the finish line with emotions flowing. I'm going to run the marathon again this year!
Growing up in Huntington and watching triumph come out of tragedy taught me many lessons in life. It taught me that everything can change in a moment with no warning. It taught me never to give up no matter what odds are stacked against me. It taught me to value life and recognize the shortness and frailty of it. It made me realize that no one is promised tomorrow, so we must make the best of today and along the way touch as many people as we can.
I'm proud today to say that I grew up in Huntington, West Virginia. I'm proud today to say that I am a Marshall University Alumnus. Huntington, Marshall and the 1970 football team will always be a vital part of my life. I'm a better person today because of the valuable lessons learned seeing tragedy turned into triumph. I can truly say WE are MARSHALL!
Friend, live each day of your life as if it will be your last and do everything you can to make a difference in others. Never give up no matter what odds are against you. Persevere until the end. Live you life touching others. You will leave a great heritage as you do and your remembrance will be motivating to others.
Know that you are loved,
gaj
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