In their last home game of the season, played on November 14, 1970, the Pirates, then a dismal 1-7, faced the Thundering Herd of Marshall University, 3-5. The Pirates won the game, 17-14, with a final 24-yard field goal by Tony Guzzo. But then came shattering news: the chartered Southern Airways DC-9 jet carrying Marshall’s 37 players, eight coaches, 25 boosters, and a five-person flight crew had crashed on its approach to the airport in Huntington, W.Va. All 75 on board were killed. The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) declared it the deadliest air accident in American athletic history.
Upon hearing of the tragedy, ECU head coach Mike McGee commented, “The tragedy is beyond belief.” He informed the Pirate team of the terrible news and then assembled the players at 2:00 am for a brief memorial service. McGee later announced that the families of the deceased players would be sent a copy of the game film, the last in which their sons played. ECU players, haunted by memories of the game – shoulder blocks, handshakes, grins, and grimaces, still very real in their minds – recalled the now deceased Thundering Herd players with profound sympathy and heartfelt prayers. Dr. Leo W. Jenkins expressed his condolences stating, “We are deeply grieved and our prayers go out to their families and friends.” ECU SGA President Bob Whitley announced the creation of a Marshall Memorial Fund to place a bronze memorial plaque at Ficklen Stadium. Clarence Stasavich, in shock, recalled how he had personally seen the Marshall coach off, suggesting as he departed that the teams play again the following year. Then, according to memories that haunted Stasavich, he wished him a good flight. The Greenville and ECU communities were speechless, having just hosted the Marshall visitors and then suddenly faced with grieving over their inexplicable deaths.
Following the end of the 1970 season, McGee, after only one year at ECU, resigned to become head coach at Duke University. In a solemn ceremony held on November 8, 2006, at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, the bronze memorial for the Marshall players and their supporters was at last unveiled. The unforgettable tragedy has fatefully paired the two universities, their teams, and their communities, even in gridiron rivalry, in sharing, at every match, grief over the senseless, catastrophic human loss that occurred in November 1970.
Sources
- Ammerman, Craig. “Crash Cause Investigated; Worst U.S. Sports Tragedy.” Daily Times-News. November 10, 1970. P. 1.
- “East Carolina vs. Marshall.” November 14, 1970. University Archives UA40.01.02.13.03. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/27644
- “ECU Marshall Memorial, ECU, Greenville.” Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina. DocSouth. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. https://docsouth.unc.edu/commland/monument/380/
- “ECU Plans Marshall Memorial.” The Robesonian. November 19, 1970. P. 13.
- “East Carolina to Honor 1970 Marshall Football Team.” ECUPirates.com. November 8, 2006. https://ecupirates.com/news/2006/11/8/East_Carolina_To_Honor_1970_Marshall_Football_Team.aspx
- “Game’s Haunting Memories: ECU Team Recalls A Face, Handshake.” Daily Times-News. November 10, 1970. P. 1.
- Ham, Tom. “ECU Unleashes Bruising Ground Game To Upend Herd.” Rocky Mount Telegram. November 15, 1970. P. 29.
- “McGee Leaves ECU to Coach at Duke.” Buccaneer. 1971. P. 136. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15322
- “Meet Mike McGee A New Era of Purple Pride.” East Carolina vs. Marshall. November 14, 1970. P. 18. University Archives UA40.01.02.13.03. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/27644
- “News Of Plane Crash Stuns ECU Gridders.” Rocky Mount Telegram. November 15, 1970. P. 29.
- “Tragedy Mars Win.” Fountainhead. Vol. 2, no. 21. November 16, 1970. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/39506
- “Wins Over Marshall, Davidson Cap Year.” Buccaneer. 1971. P. 140. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15322
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