The team's statistical leaders included Rick Baehr with 513 passing yards, Don Gilley with 290 rushing yards and 12 points scored, Bill Moore with 175 receiving yards. On Saturday, Nov. 14, 1970, a plane carrying members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team and coaching staff crashed in West Virginia killing all 75 people on board and plunging the university and community into grief. at the scene. Six years later, the Shockers dropped their football program and have not played since. The team compiled a 0-9 record , finished last out of five teams in the MVC, and was outscored by a total of 381 to 99. Its just something you live with all the time. Wichita State's game against Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 24, 1970 was one of those times. The 1970 Wichita Shockers football teamwas an American footballteam that represented Wichita State Universityas a member of the Missouri Valley Conferenceduring the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. Wichita State cancelled its games against Utah State (Oct. 3) and Southern Illinois (Oct. 10) and moved its game against Cincinnati from Oct. 17 to Oct. 31. [36] At the end of the season, a nationally televised fundraising program hosted by Monty Hall was aired to raise money for the victims of the two crashes. WSU players spent the night in Logan The NCAA allowed WSU to play freshmen, who were ineligible at the time by NCAA rule. The Shockers started seven freshmen and 10 sophomores and scored five points on a 37-yard field goal by John Potts and a safety when Cincinnati quarterback Bill Carter was tackled in the end zone. (AP file photo) This Oct. 2, 1970, file photo shows wreckage of a plane that carried members of the Wichita State University football team, in Silver Plume, Colo. Rusted and ragged pieces of . Coach Bob Seaman Wichita States offensive coordinator took over as coach, a job he held until 1973, when athletic director Ted Bredehoft fired him. Record: 0-9 (123rd of 123) (Schedule & Results). Understanding the 1970 Wichita State football plane crash Two planes carrying Wichita State University football players, coaches, administrators and fans refueled on Oct. 2, 1970, in. [12], On December 2, 1986, Wichita State President Warren Armstrong announced that the university would no longer sponsor football due to the financial strain the program placed on the university. [1] The team played its home games at Cessna Stadium in Wichita, Kansas. We will use old editions of the "Arkansas Recruiting Report" compiled by Otis Kirk during the 1990s, as well as newspaper reports accessed via microfilm, oral stories and other sources. That meant the Arkansas game was the beginning of what the Shockers were calling their "Second Season," in which they obtained special permission from the NCAA and Missouri Valley Conference to play freshmen, who were ineligible for varsity play back then. The 1970 Wichita Shockers football team was an American football team that represented Wichita State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. According to several newspaper accounts, the. The chartered Southern Airways DC-9 was returning from a game the team played earlier in the day against East Carolina University in North Carolina. A: The Black plane followed the original flight plan, north toward Laramie, Wyo., to gain altitude before crossing the Rockies. A: On Nov. 14, 1970, a plane carrying Marshalls football team back crashed near the airport in Huntington, W.V., killing 75 people. In his history of the sport of football, David M. Nelson concluded that "the first forward passes were thrown at the end of the 1905 season in a game between Fairmount and Washburn colleges in Kansas. [1] The team played its home games at Cessna Stadium in Wichita, Kansas. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Wichita State was playing its first game since head coach Ben Wilson, athletic director Bert Katzenmeyer, 14 players and 15 other people died in a plane crash on Oct. 2, 1970 en route to a. Subject: Wichita (Kan.) -- Pictorial works. [5] Fairmount won the game 240.[6]. A fireman looks over the wreckage of a DC-9 jet that was carrying the Marshall University football team in Kenova, W.Va., on Nov. 15, 1970. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. [15], In 1997, the cost was cited at $11 million to restart the football program and three other women's sports. On October 2, 1970, a plane crashed that was carrying about half of the football team on their way to play a game against Utah State University. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Rev. 1969 Roster - By Number From the 1969 FSU Football Handbook, page 42. . Understanding the 1970 Wichita State football plane crash. Withers, according to the story, hooked up with junior defensive end Pete Naputano, who also stayed behind while nursing a biceps injury. A longtime P.E. The 1970 Wichita Shockers football team was an American football team that represented Wichita State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. The Shockers fielded a team from 1897 to 1986. The two schools shared in the proceeds from the A Night of Stars benefit at Levitt Arena. [35], The following month, Southern Airways Flight 932 carrying the Marshall University football team crashed, killing 37 members of that team. The pilots of the doomed aircraft were blamed for the accident by the National Transportation Safety Board. By the half, the freshmen were veterans. In 2008, Howard Johnson, father of victim Ron Johnson, dedicated a stage musical called Waltzing in Heaven to the 1970 team in memory of his son. I think about them all the time. Bruce Gerleman, I have just felt bad about those other kids dying and me living. [40], On October 24, 1970, the team played the first game after the crash. school at this time. The game was officiated by then Washburn head coach John H. Outland. A list of the 31 people killed in the Wichita State football plane crash on Oct. 2, 1970. Kostal, Dave Lewis, Keith Morrison, Bob Renner, Rick Stephens and co-pilot Ronald Could have been on Rusty Featherstone's list. The 1970 Wichita State University plane crash. On Nov. 28, 1970, Levitt Arena hosted A Night of Stars benefit for the victims of the Wichita State and Marshall University plane crashes. It landed in Logan. 10/04/1970: Wichita, KS: Southeast: 6'5" 240: 99: Alonzo Spellman: DE: 9/27/1971: Mt. The game with Utah State was cancelled. . service was held Monday evening at Cessna Stadium. The Shockers played in three bowl games and had an 03 record. KMUW, 89.1-FM, will broadcast The Pieces that Remain: Remembering the WSU Plane Crash, at 5 p.m. Friday. Wichita State's 2017 move to the American Athletic Conference leaves it as the only full member of the conference which does not play football. Lettermen from the 1970 FSU Football Handbook, page 41. . A plane carrying the Wichita State University football team had crashed. A memorial to Wichita State University football player John Taylor lies among the remains of the tragic plane clash Oct. 2, 1970, near the Loveland Ski Area that killed 31 people. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. According to history.com, on the plane were 37 football players, head coach Rick Tolley, team doctors, the university athletic director and 25 football boosters from the Huntington, W.Va. community. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider) The NTSB said rain and poor visibility contributed to the crash. Preview pages of the 1970 yearbook from West High School from Wichita, Kansas online. [2][3] They played their home games at Cessna Stadium and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference until the program was discontinued. According to Orville Henry's story in the following day's Arkansas Gazette, a crowd of 40,000 at War Memorial Stadium gave Wichita State's team - a 46-man roster with 19 freshmen and 20 sophomores - a minute-long standing ovation. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. There was talk over the summer about reviving the football program. The Shockers voted 76-1 to continue the season against Arkansas in Little Rock. President Clark Ahlberg and dean of students Jim Rhatigan The universitys leaders dealt with the crush of notifications, funerals and memorial services. The records below only includes games while a member of the conference and does not include games against teams listed below considered non-conference games. [2] [3] They played their home games at Cessna Stadium and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference until the program was discontinued. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. He would subsequently drop the plan weeks later. Herald-Dispatch photo archive - Marshall University (dark jerseys) beat Morehead State (white jerseys) 17-7 in the season opener Sept. 19, 1970, at Fairfield Stadium. medical attention for their injuries. However, the American has 11 football-playing schools, as Navy is an associate member for football only. KPTS will show its 2009 documentary Black & Gold: Remembering the WSU Plane Crash at 8 p.m. Friday. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The 1970 team had a 3-6. Do you have a blog? However, the Cardinals came back to win the game by a 3424 score.[12]. The unfortunate loss of 31 fine individuals deserves to be remembered.. The visiting Shockers fumbled the football an incredible 17 times, with the Seminoles recovering 10 times. They reached the Final Four in 2013 and finished the 2013-14 regular season with a perfect 31-0 record. Explaining Shocker football's peculiar role in 'Ted Lasso', Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wichita_State_Shockers_football&oldid=1133405551, American football teams established in 1895, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Independent (18951923, 1927, 19401945, 1986), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Longest field goal (tied) Joe Williams 67 yards vs Southern Illinois October 21, 1978, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 16:51. Dorothy Harmon She served as interim athletic director after the crash. [17], In 2006, Wichita Mayor Carlos Mayans proposed to use public funds to restart the football program at Wichita State. The Thomas A. Reeves Memorial Scholarship honors the Wichita State trainer who died in the crash. The 1970 Wichita Shockers football team was an American football team that represented Wichita State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. The starters played only 18 snaps, long enough to build a 20-0 lead. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Q: How did the Black plane reach Utah safely? Bob Seaman took over as head coach after the crash. the "Second Season." Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. [8], On November 7, the Shockers showed marked improvement in a 2112 loss to Tulsa. All 75 people aboard were killed. The brief ceremony honors WSU football players, administrators All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Twenty-nine died at the scene. He earned All-MVC honors as a senior and played three seasons in the NFL. 31 people were killed. We know you hear with us the thrill and excitement of the game. [2], The team included 22 returning lettermen led by junior quarterback Bob Renner, senior fullback Randy Jackson, and middle linebacker John Hoheisel. Its almost like another memorial to them, with all of that still up there, teammate Ed Plopa said. The Gold aircraft carried the starting players, head coach and athletic director. Without football, the Shockers' basketball program has become a powerhouse. . Q: Why did Wichita State resume its season? The NCAA Wichita's freshman quarterback Rick Baher also threw two touchdown passes, and John Potts kicked a 47-yard field goal. Every year on Oct. 2, Wichita State University remembers the victims of the 1970 plane crash in Colorado, a tragedy that took the lives of 31 people on the trip to a football game in Utah the next day. That event is the subject of the 2006 movie "We Are Marshall," starring Matthew McConaughey. The "Gold" plane, a Martin 404, carried 36 passengers and a crew of four. Valley Conference. The future of the 1970 football season was in doubt, with the decision lying in the So I went out back and here was this big plane flying up the canyon really low. And for the next five minutes, players for both sides embraced, shook hands and talked about the football game.. 84 defensive end Pete Naputano was a junior from Altoona who was on the injured list and not on the plane. A marker on I-70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel is close to the crash site in Colorado.
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