Friday, Dec. 22, 2006 | 7:11 a.m.
WE ARE ... (clenched first in air) MAR-SHALL!
WE WERE ... (raucous applause) THOROUGHLY MOVED!
I speak of the moviegoers with whom I watched a sneak preview of "We Are Marshall," the movie that recalls the 1970 plane crash that wiped out the Marshall University football team and how the program literally rose from those ashes on a West Virginia hillside.
The Marshall tragedy is the biggest sports-related air disaster in history. Of the 75 people killed, 37 were Marshall players; another 12 were coaches and athletic department personnel. Several major boosters of the program and Huntington civic leaders were among the other 26 victims.
The crash sequence is re-enacted with compassion for the victims' families - there is only a flash of light in the cabin and then the screen goes eerily dark.
The aftermath of the tragedy is seen through the tearful eyes of loved ones left behind - the father and fiancee of the star running back, the injured defensive back who did not make the trip, the conflicted assistant coach who gave up his seat on the plane so an administrator could attend his granddaughter's piano recital. But the movie, as you might expect, is uplifting, too.
That's mostly because of Matthew McConaughey, who is wonderful as Jack Lengyel, the outsider who was entrusted with the task of rebuilding the program as its new head coach; and David Strathairn, the guy from "Good Night and Good Luck," who portrays bookish Marshall President Donald Dedmon. It was Dedmon's call to carry on with the football program despite widespread opposition within the community.
There are, of course, the typical sports movie cliches and montages - the team rebuilding with nontraditional players; the winning play being cast way more dramatically than it happened in real life. But the story - and the soundtrack - more than make up for those predictable scenes. Had they played one more Creedence or Crosby Stills & Nash tune, I would have probably blitzed the guy sitting in the row in front of me.
But just when it appeared the movie might turn into Rocky VI or VII, they would cut to the common grave on the Marshall campus, the final resting place of the players who were burned so badly their remains could not be identified.
It used to be that when somebody mentioned Marshall football, the first thing that came to mind was Randy Moss catching passes and scoring touchdowns.
Not anymore.
"We Are Marshall" (PG, 125 minutes)
Playing at Century Cinedome 12 Henderson, Century Orleans 18, Century Sam's Town, Century 16 Santa Fe Station, Century 16 South Point, Galaxy Cannery, Galaxy Neonopolis, Las Vegas Drive-In, Regal Cinemas Colonnade 14, Regal Cinemas Red Rock 16, Regal Cinemas Sunset Station, Regal Cinemas Texas Station 18, Regal Cinemas Village Square 18, UA Rainbow Promenade 10, UA Showcase 8
Ron Kantowski can be reached at 259-4088 or at [email protected].
"We Are Marshall" recounts the Nov. 14, 1970, plane crash that killed 75 people, including 49 players, coaches and other members of the Marshall athletic department near Huntington, W.Va.
It shows how families, friends, former teammates and fans were affected by the crash. And it's bound to stir memories of other aviation accidents involving athletes and sports teams. Here's a look at some of the crashes that have claimed the lives of sports figures and teams:
TEAMS
Torino F.C. SOCCER, 1949
The Torino squad had won four straight titles in Italy and was returning from a match in Lisbon when it crashed into the hills outside Turin. All 31 aboard were killed. Torino did not win the championship again until 1976.
Manchester United SOCCER, 1958
Engine problems forced the pilot to abort two attempted takeoffs from Munich during a blizzard. On a third try, the plane was unable to gain altitude and crashed at the end of the runway. It hit a fence, then slammed into an unoccupied house. Eight players, including phenom Duncan Edwards, died in the crash or from injuries sustained in the tragedy. It claimed 15 others, including eight writers. Survivors included midfielder Bobby Charlton and manager Matt Busby.
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo FOOTBALL, 1960
After a loss to Bowling Green University, the team's charter plane left from the nearby Toledo, Ohio, airport and almost immediately lost power in its left engine. It went down on its left side, crashed, cartwheeled and then broke into two pieces before bursting into flames. Of the 48 on board, 22 were killed, including 16 members of the football team.
United States NATIONAL FIGURE SKATING TEAM, 1961
Failure of the plane's controls was blamed for a crash that killed 72 people, including 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team, near Brussels, Belgium.
Wichita State FOOTBALL, 1970
The Shockers always traveled in two planes, but the first plane never reached Logan, Utah, after a refueling stop in Colorado. It flew into a too-narrow mountain valley, smashing into a mountainside 40 miles from Denver and killing 31 of the 40 passengers, including 14 team members.
Cuba NATIONAL FENCING TEAM, 1976
After taking off from Barbados, Cubana Flight 455 had reached an altitude of 18,000 feet when two time bombs exploded on the Douglas DC-8, killing all 73 people on board. Among the dead was the entire 24-member Cuban national fencing team, which had just won all of the gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Championship. Cuban and North Korean government officials also were on the plane. The Cuban government blamed the U.S. government and the CIA for the crash; others linked anti-Castro exiles and the Venezuelan secret police to the bombing.
University of Evansville BASKETBALL, 1977
A chartered DC-3 carrying the basketball team crashed in rain and dense fog near the Evansville Regional Airport, killing 29, including all 14 Aces players and coach Bob Watson. The National Transportation Safety Board cited improper weight balance and the failure of the crew to remove external safety locks as reasons for the crash.
United States OLYMPIC BOXING TEAM, 1980
After an engine disintegrated, this commercial airliner crashed near Warsaw, Poland, killing all 87 aboard, including 22 members of the U.S. boxing team. The United States ended up boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Zambia NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM, 1993
The military aircraft crashed into the sea off Libreville, Gabon, after an engine caught fire and failed. Some still believe the crash wasn't an accident. The Zambia national team was on its way to Senegal for a World Cup qualifying match, in hopes of advancing to the World Cup Finals in the U.S. in 1994. Eighteen players and manager Godfrey Chitalu, a former Zambian star, were killed.
Oklahoma State University BASKETBALL, 2001
Players Nate Fleming and Dan Lawson were among the 10 people killed in a small-plane crash in a snowstorm near Byers, Colo. The Cowboys were returning to Stillwater, Okla., after a defeat at the University of Colorado.
INDIVIDUALS
Knute Rockne FOOTBALL COACH, 1931
The football coach was headed to the filming of "The Spirit of Notre Dame" when the Fokker Trimotor broke apart and crashed near Bazaar, Kan. Rockne and seven others were killed.
Wilbur Shaw RACE CAR DRIVER, 1954
The three-time Indy 500 winner and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was killed in a private plane crash near Decatur, Ind.
Tony Lema GOLFER, 1966
"Champagne Tony," his wife and two others were flying to an exhibition when their plane crashed on the seventh hole of a golf course near Lansing, Ill.
Rocky Marciano BOXER, 1969
The plane crashed into a lone oak tree during takeoff in rainy weather near Newton, Iowa, killing the former heavyweight champ and two others.
Roberto Clemente BASEBALL PLAYER, 1972
The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder and four others were killed when their plane crashed during takeoff from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was flying relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Graham Hill RACE CAR DRIVER, 1975
The Formula One driver was piloting a plane near Hertfordshire, England, when he got lost in the fog and crashed, killing all six aboard.
Thurman Munson BASEBALL PLAYER, 1979
The Yankees catcher was practicing takeoffs and landings of a jet at the Akron-Canton (Ohio) Regional Airport when he clipped a tree and crashed short of the runway. Two others walked away from the crash.
Alan Kulwicki RACE CAR DRIVER, 1993
NASCAR's 1992 champion was one of four killed when a Hooters private plane crashed while landing in Blountville, Tenn.
Davey Allison RACE CAR DRIVER, 1993
Allison was piloting his new helicopter when he crashed trying to land on the infield at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. He died of injuries the next day.
Brook Berringer FOOTBALL PLAYER, 1996
The Nebraska quarterback was killed two days before the NFL draft when he crashed a small plane in an alfalfa field near Raymond, Neb.
Payne Stewart GOLFER, 1999
A month after leading a U.S. rally to win the Ryder Cup, Stewart was on a private jet headed from Orlando, Fla., to Dallas. The plane lost cabin pressure, killing all aboard, but the plane flew on autopilot for 1,500 miles, escorted by military jets before it crashed in a South Dakota field.
Tony Bettenhausen Jr. RACE CAR DRIVER, 2000
The CART driver and team owner was flying from Blountville, Tenn., to Indianapolis when the wings of his plane iced up and he lost control. The plane crashed in Kentucky, killing all four aboard.
Garnet "Ace" Bailey HOCKEY PLAYER, 2001
The former NHL star was a passenger on the plane that was hijacked by terrorists and flown into the south tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
Cory Lidle BASEBALL PLAYER, 2006
The Yankees pitcher and his flight instructor were killed when their small plane crashed into an apartment building on New York City's Upper East Side.
Cal Poly crash source of Madden's fear
By now, most football fans are aware that Hall of Fame football coach and broadcaster John Madden hates to fly.
But not all football fans know why.
Madden had played college football at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo during 1957-58. After a knee injury short-circuited hopes of a pro career, he started coaching at nearby Hancock Junior College.
On Oct. 29, 1960, the chartered plane carrying the Cal Poly football team after a loss at Bowling Green crashed on takeoff from the Toledo, Ohio, airport. Twenty-two of the 48 people on board, including 16 players, were killed.
That's one reason Madden rides the bus to his NFL football assignments. He says he's claustrophobic and suffered a panic attack the last time he tried to fly.
Former Southern Cal and San Diego State coach Ted Tollner was among those who survived the crash. Tollner was the Cal Poly quarterback.
Las Vegan Dick Stevens said he remembers the Cal Poly crash as if it were yesterday, probably because he was sitting in the stands at the game.
"A kid from my hometown had to do a story on the game," Stevens said of his pal Gene Welty, who was a sportswriter for the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune. "I was at his house when he got the call that there had been a terrible plane crash at the Toledo airport and that he had to get out there.
"I remember that not everybody on the plane was killed. But it was certainly tragic enough."
A permanent memorial to the victims, featuring 18 copper pillars for the players and staff, are part of the Alex G. Spanos Stadium that was dedicated last month on the Cal Poly campus.
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