subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Fri, Nov 20 2009 

Published: November 10, 2009 12:02 am    print this story  

Marshall to host Southern Miss on anniversary of plane crash

By Gary Fauber
Assistant Sports Editor

Only three times since the Marshall plane crash of 1970 has the Thundering Herd played a football game on the anniversary of that tragedy.

No. 4 will happen Saturday, when Marshall hosts Southern Miss at 4:30 p.m.

Marshall won two of the previous Nov. 14 games, including the last time it happened, a 52-14 win over Tennessee Tech in 1992. The Herd went on to win the Division I-AA national championship more than a month later.

The first time Marshall played a game on the anniversary, it lost 38-28 to Western Carolina in 1981. Exactly six years later, the Herd turned the tables on the Catamounts, winning 47-16.

All three of those games were in Huntington.

As always, the 75 people who perished aboard Southern Airways Flight 932 will be remembered during a service at the Memorial Student Center Plaza. The water that flows through the Memorial Fountain will be turned off for the winter.

The service is set to begin at noon.

Joe Gillette, a 1973 Marshall graduate now living in Atlanta, will be the keynote speaker. A shoulder injury kept Gillette, a freshman in 1969, off the 1970 team.

Among other speakers will be Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick, who played football at Marshall from 1976 to 1980.

At 4:30, everyone’s focus will shift to football.

The Herd (5-4, 3-2 Conference USA) will be coming off a bye week, trying to get past arguably the worst loss of the Mark Snyder coaching era. Marshall led UCF 20-14 before Knights receiver Rocky Ross had an island unto himself on a 1-yard touchdown catch with 23 seconds remaining.

The loss — more precisely, the way the loss happened — has opened Snyder to perhaps more criticism than he has endured during his tenuous five seasons as Marshall’s coach.

Meanwhile, Southern Miss (5-4, 3-2) has a realistic shot at the league’s East Division title. If the Eagles and leader East Carolina both win their next two games, then their meeting on Nov. 28 will decide the division champion.

“It’s good for us,” Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora said. “We’re sitting here in November and all of our goals are still sitting right in front of us. There are a lot of teams in this country right now that have no chance of reaching their goals. We feel very fortunate and excited about that opportunity because everything we’ve worked for is still sitting right in front of us.”

n n n

Marshall kicker Craig Ratanamorn is one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, it was announced Monday. The award is given to the top kicker in college football.

Ratanamorn, a senior from Wichita, Kan., is a perfect 11 of 11 on field goals and 22 of 22 on extra points this season. He is the only kicker in the nation with at least 10 made field goals who has not missed this season. He is also the only C-USA kicker to make the list.

Semifinalists will be voted on by all Division I head coaches and sports information directors, along with national, regional and local football writers and others who will select the three finalists. These finalists will be honored at the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on Dec. 8 in West Palm Beach, Fla. The winner will be announced live on the nationally televised Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show Dec. 10.

— On the Internet: www.lougrozaaward.com

print this story  



autoconx

Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premium Jobs

PREP PLANT CONTROL ROOM OPERATOR, PLANT ATTENDANT, ELECTRICIAN, MOBILE EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, LOAD OUT OPERATOR
Local coal processing company has immediate openings for Preparation Plant Control Room Operator, Plant Attendant, Elect...>MORE

LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE - MONTGOMERY GENERAL ELDERLY CARE
MONTGOMERY GENERAL ELDERLY CARE is accepting applications / resumes for Licensed Practical Nurses. Qualified candidates ...>MORE

CASEWORKER
Caseworker. A part-time with possible full-time potential position managing the monthly income of mentally and physicall...>MORE

ELECTRICAL DIVISION POSITIONS
Taggart Global, LLC is an international design, engineering and construction company with expertise in turnkey design, s...>MORE

CERTIFIED SURFACE MINE ELECTRICIANS AND MECHANICS - NICHOLAS ENERGY
Republic Energy is accepting applications and resumes for Certified Surface Mine Electricians and Mechanics. If you are ...>MORE

JOB FAIR - NOVEMBER 20TH
Job FAIR. Massey Energy is accepting experienced underground applicants. Our expanding operations are located in Raleig...>MORE

TEREX / SHM HIGHWALL MINER OPERATORS, HIGHWALL MINER FOREMAN, CERTIFIED ELECTRICIANS
Pocahontas Coal Company’s North Star One Surface and High Wall Miner operations located near Beckley, WV is now acceptin...>MORE

RN CIRCULATOR
RN CIRCULATOR. The OR team at GVMC is searching for a qualified Registered Nurse to join their growing operation in the ...>MORE

EMT APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
EMT Apprenticeship Program. Jan-Care Ambulance Service is currently accepting applications for our Emergency Medical Tec...>MORE

CHIEF INFORMATION SYSTEMS OFFICER
KANAWHA VALLEY COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE Cole Complex, Institute, WV 25112 Invites applications for the position of:...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Jobs

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index