At 7:36pm on November 14, 1970 Southern Airways Flight 932 carrying 71 members of the Marshall University football program crashed into a hillside just outside of Tri-State airport in Ceredo, West Virginia.

The crash claimed the lives of all 75 people on board the flight, including 37 members of the Marshall Football Team, eight coaches, 25 boosters and five crew.

The crash occurred on the team’s journey home after a game at East Carolina in North Carolina in which the Herd lost 17-14. Immediately the university knew the crash was bad. Little did they know that the plane crash would later turn out to be the worst sports related accident in American history.

The University had been in mourning for months, with funerals and memorial services alike. Six of the players’ remains from the crash could not be identified unlike the others. Those six players are all buried together. On a hill in Spring Hill Cemetery that overlooks the University’s campus.

The following season in 1971 the University had to cope with the tragedy all while rebuilding the football program comprised of new coaches, walk-ons, and freshman. The team won two games in 1971, the season following the crash. The team’s first win since the crash came at home against Xavier when the Herd won 15-13 in Huntington.

The crash into the hillside in 1970 was the inspiration for the 2006 movie We Are Marshall starring Matthew Mcconaughey. The movie showed first-hand the realities and struggles of dealing with such a big loss inside of such a tight knit community. We Are Marshall tells not only a story of a football team, but a community; a story dealing with the loss and trying to overcome tragedy and heartbreak all while having to rebuild a football program.

For a long  since that tragic day in November of 1970, Marshall University haf been best known for this horrific accident. However, in the late 1990’s and the early 2000’s the football program did see a resurgence and new found success.

The Herd won the Division 1-AA national championships in 1992 and 1996. With players such as Randy Moss, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich, the Herd was able to establish themselves as a top team in mid-major college football.

In 2013 Marshall is 7-3 after coming off of a 5 win season in 2012. This season the Herd has been led by junior quarterback Rakeem Cato and junior receiver Tommy Shuler. The Herd have an extremely explosive offense this season one that ranks in the top ten in the NCAA in points scored per game.

This past Thursday on the 43 anniversary of the plane crash, Marshall faced Tulsa. This game had more of a meaning to it than just a regular Conference USA matchup. For this game fell on November 14, 2013, the 43 anniversary of the plane crash.

Kickoff was set for 6:35 central time (7:35 ET), however, the Tulsa athletic administration decided to push the game back one minute to 6:36 (7:36 ET) in remembrance of that tragic moment at 7:36pm on November 14, 1970. A moment of silence was held at 6:36, just before kickoff and every single Marshall player held up his helmet which had the number 75 on one side as a sign of remembrance for every person on board Southern Airways Flight 932.

Marshall would go on to defeat Tulsa 45-34 and they would improve to 7-3 with a 5-1 record in Conference USA. Rakeem Cato led the way for the Herd throwing the ball 33 times for a total of 456 yards and five touchdowns two of which went to Tommy Shuler who had 9 catches for 105 yards to go along with the two touchdowns.

Not only did Marshall put the number 75 on their helmets, but they remembered the 1970 Thundering Herd in the best way possible, by defeating Tulsa and winning the game on such a tragic day in Marshall history.

Whether you have gone to Marshall, or heard about this tragedy; you will always remember these three words: We Are Marshall!