Activities surrounding the 30th anniversary of the 1970 Marshall Football plane crash, which took the lives of 75 people, have already begun.

Saturday, November 04, 2000

Activities surrounding the 30th anniversary of the 1970 Marshall Football plane crash, which took the lives of 75 people, have already begun.

The disaster, still considered the most catastrophic accident in American sports history, killed players, coaches, support staff, administrators, parents, fans and the crew of the Southern Airways plane when it hit the hillside just short of the runway at Tri-State Airport on November 14, 1970.

Many national news organizations have requested information or will be running stories in the coming days. These include ESPN, ESPN Classic, HBOs "RealSports" and Sports Illustrated, along with papers ranging from the Wichita Eagle to the Orlando Sentinel, Seattle Times and many others. Wichita State had a similar crash the first week of October in 1970, killing 31 members or supporters of the Shocker football program.

Events scheduled at Marshall during the week prior to the anniversary include:

· Sports Illustrated will have a piece in the issue dated Monday, Nov. 6, on the amount of national attention being directed at Marshall on the 30th anniversary of the disaster.

· ESPN will air "Marshall Football: Thirty Years Later" for the first time on Nov. 8 at 10 p.m. This feature, created by award-winning producer, Lillabeth Foster of Radical Media, will look at the circumstances that brought the 75 lives together on that November night in 1970 and how the program has returned since then. This feature will re-air on ESPN Classic on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., and on Nov. 15 at 3 a.m. and 11 a.m.

· The unveiling of a Bronze Memorial, commemorating the memory of the crash and the rise of the Marshall football program. It will be uncovered on Nov. 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the West Parking Lot of Marshall University Stadium. The ceremony will precede kickoff of the Marshall-Miami football game, scheduled for 7 p.m.

· There will be a moment of silence at the game as well as an extensive tribute in the football program that night.

· The weekend of Nov. 10-11 will also be the annual "Bring Home the Herd Weekend." Football participants from the era 1950-59 have been invited back to relive old memories and be part of the memorial weekend. Contact Ralph May for information on this project.

· On Sunday, Nov. 12, the Black Alumni Association will have a memorial service in honor of the 30th anniversary. The service will be held at the First Baptist Church, 801 Sixth Avenue, at 3 p.m.

· Also on Sunday, the first screening of the documentary "Ashes to Glory" will be held at 7 p.m. on West Virginia PBS.

· On Tuesday, Nov. 14, the annual service at the Memorial Fountain wil be held. Located on the campus-side of the Marshall University Memorial Student Center – Third Ave. and John Marshall Way, between the new Drinko Library and the Campus Christian Center at 7 p.m. in the plaza surrounding the fountain.

"Ashes to Glory" will be re-airing that evening as well as on WVPTV, beginning at 10 p.m.

· On Tuesday, Nov. 14, HBO Sports’ program "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble" will air a segment on the anniversary of the crash.