Until now, Dickie Carter's story has been ignored

(1970 Marshall football media guide)

       It still amazes me that Dickie Carter’s connection to Marshall University football has been overlooked or flat-out ignored. Carter was one of the Thundering Herd’s top running backs during his time at MU.

       Even more amazing is that he played on the 1970 team, but was not onboard the DC-9 jet that crashed and killed most of his teammates. Injury was not the cause for Carter’s absence. He left the team a few weeks prior to the tragedy after having a disagreement with head coach Rick Tolley.

       Dickie and I were teammates and I could write about him from a personal perspective. Instead, I’ve decided to use some archival material from the Thundering Herd’s 1970 football media guide (see graphic above).

       In the documentary Ashes to Glory, there’s a quick reference to Dickie. There’s even a picture of him that flashes across the screen for a second or two. Yet, there’s no explanation as to who No. 30 is.

       Oddly enough, something similar happened at a Marshall home football game in 2010. On November 13 of that year—the day before the 40^th anniversary of the plane crash—the Herd played the University of Memphis.        

       Prior to the start of that game, all eyes in Joan C. Edwards Stadium focused on the giant TV screen to watch a video tribute for the 1970 team. Around the 37 seconds mark of the video, spectators see a photo of Dickie standing with wide receiver Dennis Blevins (80).

       People who have little or no knowledge about the plane crash might incorrectly assume that Dickie was on that plane, but he was not. It serves as a thought-provoking reminder that he could have been on that plane. Click here to see video on You Tube

       Dickie’s story has been forgotten about for far too long. The fact that his picture has appeared in a documentary and a video tribute, tells me that he deserves to have the opportunity to have his say. In November Ever After, he talks with a lot of candor about his times at Marshall. To gain further insight, go to the website's excerpt page to learn more about Dickie’s story.