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Marshall University's Memorial Fountain: A Heartfelt Annual Tradition Honoring the 1970 Plane Crash

Marshall University s Memorial Fountain: A Heartfelt Annual Tradition Honoring the 1970 Plane CrashOn November 14, 1970, a chartered flight carrying the Marshall University football team, coaches, staff, boosters, and crew tragically crashed short of the runway at Huntington Tri-State Airport. All 75 aboard perished, marking the deadliest air disaster in U.S. sports history.

The Huntington community was shattered, with many questioning if Marshall could ever field a football team again. Yet, the university showed remarkable resilience. Under new head coach Jack Lengyel, assistant coach Red Dawson, and dedicated supporters, the Thundering Herd returned to the field for the 1971 season.

As depicted in the 2006 film We Are Marshall, the comeback was challenging. Marshall won just two games that year, but the program's spirit endured. After years of struggle, the Herd claimed two Division II National Championships in the 1990s and has since achieved national prominence, securing seven bowl victories since 2009.

To commemorate the 75 lives lost, Marshall dedicated a memorial fountain at its Student Center on November 12, 1972. Every November 14, hundreds gather as the fountain's water is symbolically stopped—a solemn pause held until spring. This poignant ritual stands as one of Marshall's most cherished traditions, embodying the community's enduring strength. The number 75 remains sacred; in 2013, for the first away game on that date since the crash, players wore it on their helmets, a practice continued in subsequent years.

Visiting Huntington? Explore Marshall's historic campus and the memorial fountain. If you're there on November 14, witness this unique, moving college sports tradition firsthand. As the memorial inscribed, "They shall live forever in the hearts of their families and friends."

Have you visited Marshall's Memorial Fountain?


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