Forty-something years later ... yes, it stll matters

Every year Marshall University pays homage to those who died in a fiery plane crash over four decades ago.

On the night of November 14, 1970, the school lost most of its varsity football team and coaching staff, along with administrators and a good number prominent people who were avid MU supporters. The Southern Airlines jet that crashed claimed the lives of seventy-five people. There were no survivors.

Herd QB Bob Harris in 1970.

Thursday of this week marks the 43^rd year since the plane crash. Even though this happened such a long time ago, the memories remain and are just as clear today as they were on that dreadful night when a school and community were forced to deal with a tragedy of the highest degree. Given the amount of time that has passed, somebody will always ask this question:

Does it still matter?

Yes.

It matters.

Very much.

Not only was I there at that time, but I wasn’t that far removed from the tragedy. As a former Marshall U. defensive back, I knew most of the players on that plane, which included my best friend Scottie Reese. I played two seasons and decided to walk away from the game the year before the crash. Looking back on it all, there’s a huge possibility that had I made a different decision, I would’ve been on the plane too.

There are many of us who are still around from back in the day. We remember the agony and confusion from those troubling days following the crash. But we also remember how the Thundering Herd rose from the ashes of devastation to eventually emerge as a highly successful program in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The beauty of the Marshall story is how the football program resurrected itself against seemingly insurmountable odds. The crash is still considered to be the worst air disaster in the history of American sports. Yet, from that tragedy, Marshall became one of the greatest comeback stories in all of college sports.

This story needs to be told. That’s what eventually prompted me to write the memoir November Ever After. It’s a story that’s timeless. It’s story that should be shared with future generations.

Since writing the memoir, I’ve learned how much this story resonates with young and old and how it has developed an attraction to football fans as well as those who have little or no interest in the game. The Marshall story is still relevant. That’s what I’ve discovered in my interactions with readers. It’s a story that’s worth preserving. In other words, it’s a story that still matters.

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“Stories of real people who lived through real pain”

Jim Gill

Editor’s Note: Jim Gill lives in an area of the country where the passion for football runs deep. Gill, who serves as Director of the Dover Public Library in Ohio, is a football fan who’s very familiar with the story of the Marshall University plane crash. Jim recently shared his thoughts about the book with me (see below).

I am captivated by the Marshall story and was browsing iBooks and downloaded the free sample of November Ever After.  I later purchased the print edition for the Dover Public Library. There are so many aspects of this story that captivate people nationwide – regardless of whether they are football fans or not.
 

In reading Craig’s book, I learned that there’s so much more to the story than just the crash and the rebirth of the football program.  I had no sense of the racial

issues that seethed through Huntington, West Virginia and the Marshall campus during that time.  The “Homegoing Caravan” was sad and beautiful all at the same time.  Ed Carter’s story is both chilling and inspiring.

The film We Are Marshall is a powerful portrayal of the crash and the rebuilding of the football program.  Sadly, most people who even know of the Marshall story view the story only through the Hollywood lens. November Ever After adds more depth to the story by bringing to light the stories of real people who lived through real pain.

November Ever After has been very popular in Dover. Thanks to the movie, the Marshall story has better name recognition with the average library patron. Craig’s book complements our existing collection very nicely. 

        

Libraries in communities that have a passion for football should definitely purchase this memoir for their collection — especially those in the Ohio River Valley. Thanks to the movie, the Marshall story has worldwide appeal now.

      

The first-person accounts in November Ever After resonate with people because they are true.  The stories of the people who lost their lives and those who survived strike an emotional cord. Deep down, we realize that those who perished were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. 

Those tragic deaths remind us of our own mortality. But the story does not end there.  Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, the Marshall story is the tale of hope and rebirth and renewal. That is the real beauty of the story.

Amazon book reviews on November Ever After

'November Ever After' has company on book shelves

Sports history has always been a fascinating subject to a lot of people. That’s what I’ve discovered since November Ever After – my memoir about the 1970 Marshall University football plane crash – was published two years ago.

Since then, I’ve come across a lot of new information from a number of reliable sources. As a result, I’ve had to rethink my position about writing another book on the topic. For now, I’m not going into any detail about it. You’ll see more on that in the weeks to come.

As an author, I’ve learned that it takes a lot more work than most people will ever know to having a book published. It’s quite a journey to go from finishing the first chapter of a manuscript to seeing your book in print.

Two friends of mine – Les Hicks and Nate Northington – have recently published sports history-related books in 2013.

Hicks is the author of Against All Odds: Fourth Down and Forever, a book that details how the Marshall plane crash inspired him to live a life of serving others. Les was a defensive lineman at Marshall in the years that immediately followed the crash.

Northington’s autobiography Still Running is steeped in the history of college athletics in the Deep South from back in the day. Nate, a running back/defensive back/kick return specialist, signed with the University of Kentucky in the mid-1960s. He broke the color line as the first black athlete to play football in the Southeastern Athletic Conference.

You can take a look at these books on the Amazon.com web site.

Click here for Against All Odds
  

 Click here for Still Running

Crash victim’s son “still a boy who longs for his dad”

Editor’s Note: Here’s a letter I received from Frank Loria Jr., the son of the one of the coaches who perished in the Marshall University football plane crash on November 14, 1970. Coach Frank Loria was my position coach when I played for the Thundering Herd.

Dear Craig,

I am the son of one of your former coaches at Marshall, Frank Loria. Just wanted to reach out and say how much I appreciate your book November Ever After. I especially enjoyed reading about the point you said my dad would always make about taking care of the little things and the big things will come. Since I was born December 30, 1970, I never knew him. Even so, I never tire of hearing things like that about him.

Just so you know my life has been great. Despite the void, I have a lot to be thankful for. My mom is a true hero and her story is a source of strength for me.  When my dad died she had my two older sisters (age 3 and age 1 at the time) and then of course me to take care of.  She really did a great job and the thing I most admire is that she never openly complained about the deal she was given.

I was fortunate to have constant reminders of who my dad was and what he stood for. As a kid his memory made me strive to excel in everything I did and to do so in an honest and good way. I wanted to be a “good boy” that my dad would have been proud of. That led me to go to West Point for college and serve proudly in the Army. That same desire to excel drives me today in the business world.  I may be a 42-year old man, but I am still a boy who longs for his dad. That may sound sad and I guess it is, but it helps me to be the best dad I can be to my two beautiful children.

I also appreciated your perspective about the tense race issues of those days. Marshall certainly was way ahead of its time in integrating folks from different races but that doesn't mean it was easy.  The thing is the crash didn’t discriminate. And from that it seems that, although not perfectly, people came together as human beings to grieve and then to move on.  Huntington, West Virginia is a special place.

This is the deal I have been given and I accept it. As I said, my life has been great and I am very happy.  But as you say in the book, “it's always with you.”  Life is messy!

My first visit to Marshall was in 2000 for the unveiling of the bronze statue and the 30th memorial of the plane crash. It was a time of healing for me. I got to meet a lot of people and for me it was most special to connect with other folks who lost parents.  There was an immediate bond of understanding and love. I have continued to go back as much as I can. I had the honor to speak at the 35th memorial which was really a privilege. I consider myself part of the Marshall family.

Anyway, I just wanted to reach out and say thank you for sharing your story.

Take Care,

Frank

Southside Connection: “November Ever After”

“I run into people all the time who tell me that they know about the movie (“We Are Marshall”), but they also want to know about the truth (“November Ever After”). What Warner Brothers did was fine in and of itself, but it didn’t go far enough. The movie proclaimed itself as a true story, when in actuality, it was not. The true story has enough in it, so it doesn’t need to be altered.”

Craig T. Greenlee, author

“November Ever After”

The above is an excerpt from Greenlee’s interview on the radio talk show “Southside Connection,” hosted by Ed Lane. The show airs weekdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on ESPN Southside (1160 AM) in Martinsville, Virginia. Click on the link below to listen to the podcast which is posted on the ESPN Southside web site.  

Radio Interview Southside Connection

Upcoming interview on sports radio talk show

“November Ever After” author Craig T. Greenlee was a guest on the sports radio talk show “Southside Connection” with host Ed Lane earlier this week. A podcast of the interview will be made available soon. Check back on this site to find out when the interview will be posted.

The veteran sports writer and former Marshall University football player, will talk about the circumstances that prompted him to write a memoir about the 1970 plane crash that killed most of Marshall’s football team.

Greenlee will also discuss why he felt compelled to do author a sequel, which is scheduled to be published over the next 12 to 18 months. 

“Southside Connection” airs weekdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on ESPN Southside (1160 AM) in Martinsville, Virginia.