Walk the streets of Huntington, West Virginia, and it doesn't take long to figure out that this is the home of the Marshall University Thundering Herd.
Fire hydrants, for instance, are trimmed in green and white paint -- Marshall's colors. Cars are adorned with Marshall flags. Signs proclaiming "Go Herd" are proudly displayed on the front porches of homes and in the windows of local businesses. This month, "Beat BYU" signs have been a popular addition to the landscape.It seems about everyone in this old coal-mining town of 60,000 residents is heavily influenced by the Thundering Herd football program. "Marshall is Huntington," said Woody Woodrum, who has been affiliated with the Marshall athletics for 23 years in various capacities, including color commentator on the Marshall sports network. "It is the biggest employer. Our home football games are worth millions of dollars to the community."
The natives, turns out, are indoctrinated early. "At the hospital, they put a Herd T-shirt on newborn babies," he said. "It's the first thing you wear when you're born in Huntington."
For Thundering Herd fans, young and old alike, there's plenty to be proud of these days. Marshall, which made the jump from Division I-AA to I-A just three years ago, is undefeated and ranked No. 11. It boasts Heisman Trophy finalist Chad Pennington at quarterback, owns the country's longest winning streak and has a date with No. 25 BYU in the Dec. 27 Motor City Bowl.
"Everyone here is stunned to be ranked 11th in the nation," Woodrum said. "People can't believe it's happened this quickly."
The strong support of Marshall in Huntington -- located in the southwestern corner of West Virginia bordered by Ohio and Kentucky -- is inspired by aspects much deeper than mere rankings or records or winning percentages. Marshall football is about life and death.
On a rainy, murky night on Nov. 14, 1970, a jet plane carrying the Marshall football team and several school administrators, staff members and fans, crashed in its final approach to the Tri-State Airport in Wayne County, W.V., killing all 75 people aboard. It is considered the most catastrophic airplane accident in the history of American sports. It was a tragedy that shocked the nation and changed Marshall forever.
Six of the players who could not be positively identified were buried in a grave that pays tribute to all those who lost their lives in the disaster, the cause of which was never determined. Earlier this year, the road that runs past the stadium toward Spring Hill Cemetery, where the monument sits, was renamed Marshall Memorial Street.
"The people here are close-knit with the university because of the crash," Woodrum said. "About 1,000 people came out to a ceremony in November on the 29th anniversary of the crash to remember it. Our players feel they are playing for a higher purpose. In a way they feel they are playing for those who died."
PBS has produced a documentary on the crash and its after-effects called "Ashes to Glory," which is scheduled to be aired next year.
The title of the television program is indeed apropos, as Marshall has risen from prolonged futility. "There was a lot of talk back in the 1970s of dropping football at Marshall," Woodrum said. "We had poor facilities and poor funding."
The 1990s have produced a very different story. No Div. I-A or I-AA school has won more games (113) this decade than Marshall. The Herd have thrived under coach Bob Pruett, who has won 90 percent of his games in three seasons at the helm. And, in the last three years, Marshall has produced two Heisman Trophy candidates.
The other Heisman contender, besides Pennington, was receiver Randy Moss in 1997. Moss, now a Minnesota Vikings receiver who earned 1998 NFL Rookie of the Year honors, continues to bring even more national attention to the university. "Marshall fans are still basking in his glow of Randy Moss," Woodrum said.
Thanks to the likes of Moss, Pennington and Pruett, Marshall's reputation is growing rapidly. Herd fans believe respect and validation will come if Marshall can defeat the Cougars at the Pontiac Silverdome next week. "People around here feel that if we beat BYU," Woodrum said, "we deserve to be ranked in the top 10."
As time goes on, the school that was once known only for The Crash is becoming famous for playing darn good football. "When people outside West Virginia talk about Marshall, they don't bring up the crash first anymore," Woodrum said. "But the crash will never go away in Huntington. You never want to forget something like that."