Conversation on talk radio: "Dresser After Dark"

Return to Fairfield Stadium had a strange feel to it

       In the days leading up to the start of spring football practice in ’71, I never thought about what it would feel like to run onto the field at Fairfield Stadium as a football player. It had been about eighteen months since I last played for Marshall. I left after the ’69 season and had settled in as a regular student at the time of the 1970 plane crash. A few months after the November tragedy, I decided to rejoin the team for spring drills.

       By the time of my return, Fairfield had undergone a much-needed facelift. Before being refurbished, the field was littered with potholes and deep divots with a quarter-mile gravel track that encircled the field. The new-look Fairfield was now modernized with half-inch-thick Astro-Turf, which was the rage of that era in college football.

       That first day of spring practice felt so weird. As I trotted down the ramp from the locker room to go on the field, I couldn’t help but think about the guys who died in the crash. It wasn’t a recurring memory, but it was certainly a memory that nobody would ever forget. Thirteen of the thirty-seven players who died in the crash first came to Marshall in ’68, and I was part of that group. Had it not been for the crash, most of that crew from the undefeated ’68 freshman team would have been rising seniors.

       Standing at ground level on the artificial turf provided a much different look from what people could see from the stands. The first thing I noticed was this very noticeable crown in the middle of the field. The crown was necessary so that when it rained, the field would drain properly. To me, this looked so strange.

        Because I played safety, I lined up near the center of the field most of the time. Visually, it was easy to see that – because of the crown – the new Fairfield was not a level playing surface. Depending on the direction of a given play, you’d run slightly uphill or slightly downhill. It took some getting used to, but I eventually got acclimated.

Sportscaster reflects on "We are ... Marshall" chant

       Editor’s Note: I recently received the following comments written in response to one of my blog entries about the “We Are Marshall!” chant which is featured prominently in the movie. No such chant existed at the time of the 1970 plane crash. Even so, the chant is not pure fantasy. It is a real chant, so I stand corrected.

Craig,
       This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that the “We Are Marshall” chant is a myth. The truth is that the chant came several years after the crash.

       That chant didn’t start until the mid-1980s at Fairfield Stadium. Then it really took off in 1991. The scoreboard at the new stadium would show flashing arrows which prompted each side as to which part of the chant to shout.
       The unfortunate thing is that Warner Brothers based its marketing of the movie on the premise of “This is a true story.” But because of the other “Hollywood minutes” in the film, including the game-winning touchdown (which didn’t happen that way in the actual Xavier-Marshall game), the movie should have been promoted as “based on a true story.”

       The “We Are Marshall” chant when bellowed with such fervor by Thundering Herd fans, is part of what MU is all about. You, me, the 1970 team, the Young Thundering Herd, the fans—we are all Marshall University.
       The movie scene (where students congregate in front of an on-campus administration building) is historically incorrect. But that scene did accurately portray the emotions and feelings in 1971 that Marshall should continue to play football and never forget about those who lost their lives.

       It was a long time ago and I was there in the mid-to-late 1970s for the second wave of "why pour money into a program that can never win?" Outside the MU football program, more people were beginning to agree with that line of thinking.
       But not at Marshall.

       And that was because "We are … Marshall!"

-Woody Woodrum

Woody Woodrum is the co-host for Insider Sportsline, a daily sports talk radio show on WRVC Super Talk 94.1 FM/930 AM in Huntington, West Virginia. He is also senior editor for Herd Insider.

Alumnus: What "We are ... Marshall" means to me

Editor’s Note: Below is an email message written in response to my recent blog entry about the WAM (We Are … Marshall) chant being a myth. It was non-existent at the time of the 1970 plane crash. The chant, however, is not a product of Hollywood fiction. So, I stand corrected on that. The chant is not a myth. Here’s the issue I’ve always had about the chant and the movie. The time period when the chant was used in the movie, didn’t match the true timeline of when the chant became prominent in real life.

Craig,
       I agree with you that the "We are .... Marshall" chant did not occur during "our" time at Marshall. But the chant did become popular before the movie came out (2006). Furthermore, I associated the chant with the resurgence of Marshall University Thundering Herd football.
       I believe that the chant became popular at Herd football games during the 1990’s. I returned to Huntington (West Virginia) for Marshall’s Homecoming weekend every year during the 1990’s and each year I attended the football game. The reason I associate the chant with the resurgence of MU football is an experience that Nate Ruffin shared with me. (Ruffin missed the fatal flight because of an injury and he was the captain of the '71 Young Thundering Herd).
       The year was 1999, and Marshall went on the road to play powerful Clemson on its home turf known as "Death Valley." The Herd beat 13-10. At the time, Clemson's home field -- Memorial Stadium -- had a seating capacity of about 81,500.
       Nate described the following scene:
       The stadium is quiet. A relatively small group of Marshall fans sit in one end zone and another small group of Herd faithful sit in the opposite end zone. The chant broke out from one end zone: "We are ...  The group sitting in the other end zone responded: "Marr-shall1!"
       I was not at that game, but I can still remember Nate sharing that story. Whenever I hear the "We are Marshall" chant, that's the memory I have.
       As you know, I was a freshman at Marshall when the crash occurred. I was part of the "Homegoing Caravan." And I participated in the football game between Black United Students and Kappa Alpha fraternity. I played safety and was personally tutored by you on the art of playing the position. Since I was at that game, I did witness the fight on Friday the 13th (the day before the plane crash).
       This was a time of my life that I will never forget. I was glad that the movie We Are Marshall came out. I am even more ecstatic that you wrote November Ever After because I have never been able to explain the passion I have for Marshall University Thundering Herd football.

       I just wanted to share what "We are ... Marshall" means to me.

- Robert Walker 

 Robert Walker is a Marshall University graduate. 

Greenlee is featured guest on radio program

       For Craig T. Greenlee, the night of November 14, 1970 will always be etched in memory. It was an unforgettable night. Marshall University’s football team was involved in a plane crash that killed most the team.

       Greenlee will join host Calvin Patterson on the radio program Empowering YOU! to give his personal insights about the tragedy. The half-hour program will air tonight (January 23) at 7 o’clock on WSNC-FM 90.5.

       At the time of the plane crash, Greenlee was a college student at Marshall. But deeper still, he was a former teammate who played defensive back for the Thundering Herd for two seasons. He left the team for personal reasons a year before the tragedy. He knew most the players who died, which included his best friend Scottie Reese..

       “The Marshall plane crash was a horrific event,” Greenlee said. “But it’s also a historical event. That time period in my life is forever memorable. This is a story that educates, enlightens and inspires.”

       Tonight’s interview will be available on the world-wide web as a live stream broadcast at the WSNC web site

       Click on “Listen to WSNC Online” and choose from the following formats: mp3, iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

       WSNC is a National Public Radio affiliate station located on the campus of Winston-Salem State University (North Carolina).

      Click here to view  promo video for tonight's "Empowering YOU!" program

1971: "Supreme sacrifice for the impossible dream"

         I doubt if anybody would’ve been shocked if Marshall had gone winless in ’71—the season right after the plane crash. The Young Thundering Herd gave a much-better-than-expected accounting of itself with an eyebrow-raising 2-8 won-loss record.

        In a season where not a whole lot went right very often, Marshall was able to generate some excitement with heart-stopping victories over Xavier University and Bowling Green State University. The Xavier game stands out the most because it was a last-play-of-the-game touchdown that gave the Herd the 15-13 victory.

       But upon further review, the 12-10 win over Bowling Green on MU’s Homecoming Day was even more impressive. The Falcons were prime contenders in the Mid-American Conference that year and viewed as one of the favorites to win the MAC and earn a trip to the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

      Other than that, the Herd suffered its share of whippings, which included a 66-6 beat-down defeat at the hands of Miami of Ohio.

       Coach Jack Lengyel put the season in its proper perspective in an article he wrote for the 1972 Chief Justice yearbook. Here are some excerpts from that article.       

       “It was not just a football season, it went deeper than that,” Lengyel wrote. “Football is just a game. But the things which make it up are what make it great. IT was all of us playing … we all had a share in it. This team asked no quarter, but was willing to make the supreme sacrifice for the impossible dream.”

MU chant made popular by moviemakers is a myth

      We are … Marshall!

       We are … Marshall!

       We are … Marshall!

       That chant reverberates throughout the 2006 film about the Marshall University football plane crash and its aftermath. The chant, which is also the movie’s title, is catchy and memorable. Those who have seen the movie are inspired by the cinematic account of how a school and a city managed to regroup and rebuild in the days and months following the worst airplane tragedy in the history of American sports.

       There’s one problem, though.

       The chant, while heart-stirring and inspiring, is the product of Hollywood insistence on taking the phrase "artistic license" to whole new level. Back in the day, no such chant existed. I should know. I was there. I played football for the Thundering Herd in ’68 and ’69, so I knew most of the players who were killed in the ’70 crash.

       In other words, the chant is pure fiction.

       Marshall did have a chant back in the day, but it didn’t sound anything like what Warner Brothers would have viewers to believe. I’ll repeat here, but not in its entirety because the actual chant from that era had profanity in it.

       Marshall, Marshall who are we. Best ­­______ team in the M-A-C!

      The “who are we” chant became obsolete in ’70 because Herd football had been ravaged by a recruiting scandal. Among the damaging side-effects and was heaving scrutiny by the NCAA and indefinite suspension from the MAC (Mid-American Conference).

       So, what’s the big deal? This isn’t anything new. Hollywood does it all the time.

       I agree, but that doesn’t make it OK—especially since Warner Brothers trumpeted the We Are Marshall film as a totally accurate reflection of the truth.

       Here are a few examples:

• One of the movie’s opening scenes involves MU head coach Rick Tolley talking to the team prior to the Herd’s return trip from its road game against East Carolina. Tolley gives an encouraging speech then calls everybody together and they collectively chant “We Are Marshall!” Never happened.
• An overflow crowd of Marshall students congregate in front of an administration building to let MU decision-makers know that they are not in favor of the school dropping football. They repeat the chant in unison as a show of solidarity. This scene is bogus. Pure fantasy.

        The insertion of a fictional chant for this particular movie works well in terms of cinema. But what I’ve always had a problem with is that the actual story is good enough that it doesn’t need to be altered in any way.

       In the archives of the Herald-Dispatch (WV) newspaper, Jack Lengyel, who coached at Marshall in the years immediately following the crash, admitted that the movie chant was non-existent at that time. “The We are ... Marshall chant was never a part of our game," he said. "It came later, but it's very appropriate for the movie.”

       It may be appropriate for the movie. But it’s not appropriate for the truth.

       For those of us who were on the scene back in the day, the truth matters very much. It matters because it’s the best way to pay homage to those who perished.