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Alum's perspective on memoir: 'My life is richer'

By Gary Sweeney

       During Marshall’s Homecoming weekend in October, my wife (Anne) and I got to visit a very good friend – Maurice Cooley – who we cultivated a lasting friendship with during our days at MU. Maurice serves our alma mater today with his enthusiastic leadership in helping black students gain an education at our beloved Marshall [as director of the Student Relations Center].

       Maurice escorted me and Anne to the on-campus bookstore to meet Craig Greenlee. Craig and I are graduates of Marshall's W. Page Pitt School of Journalism & Mass Communications. But because I’m a few years older, we never had any journalism classes together. 

       Craig had a book signing for November Ever After on Homecoming Day. His book is unlike others that have documented the heartache that Huntington, West Virginia faced during those dark times which started on the night of November 14, 1970.  It's about the tragedy that we – as young students – did not know how we should act or react. Most of us had never been forced to deal with the emotions associated with death. Not only that, but we had to come to grips with losing most of our football team and coaches, our classmates and friends. Some of us had friends whose parents were passengers on that ill-fated flight.Click here to view "Video Tribute to the 75"

        I’m happy I that purchased a copy of Craig's book.  Not long after Homecoming, we traveled to Texas to see our older daughter (Rebecca), her husband, and three of our wonderful grandchildren. During our visit, I finished the book during the wee hours of quiet nights and early mornings. 

       I laughed.

       I renewed friendships of long days past...

       I cried often! 

       Craig played football for the Herd during our days at Marshall University. He [along with the rest of the large freshman class] was recruited by Coach Perry Moss to become a part of something greater. MU’s undefeated freshman team of 1968 provided tangible proof that the school was serious in its efforts to become a formidable force in college football. 

       Our days in Huntington (West Virginia) were not pleasant ones when it came to football.  Marshall was very close to having the longest losing streak in the nation. Craig was one of many black athletes who accepted Coach Moss's invitation to play football in West Virginia.

      Because Craig had given up the game of football, he was not on board the plane in 1970. I believe God had a new purpose for Craig ... and it would take over forty years before Craig would pen a book about what it was like to be a student at MU and a former Thundering Herd teammate. 

       God has blessed my life often and He continues to do so.  I don't know why Maurice chose to introduce me to Craig Greenlee during Homecoming of 2011. 

       Thank you, Maurice. 

       My life is richer because of November Ever After.

Gary Sweeney is a 1969 graduate of Marshall University.

Hokies, Herd are forever linked by night of 11.14.70

       The night of November 14, 1970 forged a permanent connection between Virginia Tech and Marshall University. Two of the coaches who died in the fatal plane crash that decimated most of MU’s football team – Rick Tolley and Frank Loria – played their college ball at V-Tech.

       Tolley, the Thundering Herd’s head coach in ’70, played center and linebacker for the Hokies from 1958-61. Loria, a star safety (1965-67) and the school’s first consensus All-American, was instrumental in leading Virginia Tech to a berth in the 1966 Liberty Bowl. He came to MU as the defensive backs coach in ‘69. Loria also played in the same secondary as Virginia Tech’s legendary coach Frank Beamer.
       Earlier this season, Virginia Tech played an away game at Marshall and cruised to a 30-10 victory. On the day of that game, Beamer paid a visit to the Marshall University Memorial at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, West Virginia. Beamer placed a 3x5 Hokie Stone at the memorial site to pay homage to the 75 crash victims.
       Tech's players wore special stickers on the back of their helmets for the VT-MU contest. The round stickers bore the initials “RT” and “FL” in recognition of Tolley and Loria, along with the number 75, which represents the number of people who perished.

East Carolina-Marshall: typically thrilling football

       What it is about the East Carolina-Marshall University football match-up that typically creates an abundance of intrigue? Sure, the two schools are linked because of the tragedy that occurred over 40 years ago when the Thundering Herd’s chartered jet crashed before landing on a return trip from a road game against the Pirates.      

       Fast-forward three decades after the crash and you’ll discover that these two schools were participants in the highest-scoring affair in the history of college bowl games. Byron Leftwich passed for 576 yards and four touchdowns in Marshall’s 64-61 double overtime win over ECU in the 2001 GMAC Bowl played in Mobile, Alabama.

       The most recent intriguing episode occurred on yesterday. The Herd and Pirates entered their regular-season finale against each other with identical 5-6 records. Both teams needed a win to become bowl eligible.

       Marshall’s home crowd at Joan Edwards Stadium got its money’s worth, but there were some anxious moments. ECU scored right before the end of regulation to tie the game at 27 and force overtime. MU answered quickly on a one-yard touchdown run by Tron Martinez. Rakeem Cato’s 24-yard pass to Travon Van set up the game-winning score.

       The Herd’s defense came up big on the next series when East Carolina attempted to produce the equalizer. On fourth and 12, Marshall defensive back Darryl Roberts intercepted a Dominique Davis pass to nullify the scoring threat and preserve a pulsating 34-27 OT victory. Now, it remains to be seen just where Marshall might go for the postseason.

     Van finished with 73 rushing yards on seven carries and a score to go with six receptions for 68 yards. Cato completed 23 of 29 throws for 341 yards, which included a pair of touchdown passes to Aaron Dobson (four receptions for 110 yards). For ECU, Davis threw for 285 yards and three scores, but he also threw three picks, the last of which sealed his team’s fate for a losing season.

 

'I have no idea what I would have said in response'

       Coming home for Thanksgiving break during my junior year of college is a time that I’m not likely to ever forget. The 21-hour ride on the Greyhound bus from Huntington, West Virginia to Jacksonville, Florida seemed to take a lot longer than usual.

       But on this occasion, in November 1970, things were far from being normal. Four days prior to catching a bus going south to go home, I was in Waco, Texas to attend the funeral of my best friend, Scottie Reese. Scottie, who played outside linebacker and defensive end, was among the 75 passengers who died in the fatal Marshall University football plane crash.

       The long bus ride to Florida provided me with plenty of time to think and reflect on what had happened. Not that it really mattered. For whatever reason, my mind went blank. And I made a conscious effort to not think about the night when Marshall University lost most of its football team.

       Coming home for that Thanksgiving weekend over 40 years ago is still one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had. I remember talking to Andre Alston, a high school football teammate who lived close to the same neighborhood I lived in. I talked to Andre that weekend, and while he never said he was shocked to see me, I do remember his facial expression. He looked at me in such a way as if to assure himself that it was really me that he was talking to.

       “Craig, we thought you were gone.”

       Andre’s comment wasn’t all that surprising. There were only a few people back home who knew that I was no longer playing college football. So, I explained that I decided to walk away from the game, but that I had also decided that I would finish school at Marshall and not transfer somewhere else.

        The whole time I was home, not one person ever asked me any details about what happened on the night of the plane crash. Maybe there was something in my tone of voice or my body language that prevented them from questioning me. And maybe it was a case of folks showing some sensitivity towards someone who had a personal connection with a horrible tragedy. And besides, I was hardly eager to provide any answers.

       Even to this day, I have no idea what I would have said in response to any probing questions my friends may have asked.

'69 Herd stirs up memories of another winless streak

 

By Woody Woodrum

       The November 10^th blog entry about the winless streak the '69 Thundering Herd broke (0-26-1) made me recall a similar streak at Marshall.

       When Marshall joined the Southern Conference in 1977, the Herd went 0-26-1 in the league, only tying Western Carolina 13-13 in 1980 on freshman Barry Childers’ 59-yard field goal (still the longest in NCAA history for a freshman). MU finally broke through in 1981 with a win at Appalachian State.

       For a team that improved to 2-8 on the year, there was a Huntington Police escort into town from the Hurricane (West Virginia) exit and 3,000 or so people waiting for the team at 18th Street in front of Gullickson Hall.

       When coach Sonny Randle was asked if the monkey was off Marshall's back, he replied: "That was no monkey. That was King Kong!"

Woody Woodrum, is the senior editor for the Herd Insider publication and co-host of the Insider Sportsline talk show on WRVC/SuperTalk 94.1FM in the Tri-State (West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky).

Have a restful, peaceful and joyous Thanksgiving

"Let everything that has breath

praise the Lord"

Psalm 150:6