On November 14, 1970 the East Carolina Pirates were victorious over the Thundering Herd of Marshall 17-14. The victory over Marshall was sadly the last football game for the 75 Marshall players, coaches and administrators that departed Greenville, NC aboard Southern Airways flight 932 to Huntington, WV as their plane crashed just short of the runway in Huntington, leaving no survivors.

At Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium outside the visitors’ locker room is located a bronze plaque “We Are Marshall” memorializing the tragedy to the victims.

ECU and Marshall have forever been bonded by the events of that tragedy.

Tread lightly and remember.

MARSHALL MEMORIAL / THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF THE 1970 / MARSHALL UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL TEAM THAT VALIANTLY / PLAYED ITS FINAL GAME ON THIS VERY GRIDIRON. / THE TRAGEDY WILL BE REMEMBERED AND HONORED / THROUGH THIS MEMORIAL FOR A TEAM THAT GAVE ITS ALL. / THEIR FLIGHT TO ETERNITY FOREVER CHANGED THE LIVES / OF THOSE WHO DEARLY LOVED THEM. / WE HONOR THEIR DEDICATION, DISCIPLINE, AND / DEVOTION TO THE GAME OF FOOTBALL AS NO OTHER / TEAM IN HISTORY HAS GIVEN SO MUCH. / THEY SHALL LIVE ON IN THE HEARTS OF THEIR FAMILIES / AND FRIENDS FOREVER, AND THIS MEMORIAL RECORDS / THE LOSS TO THEIR UNIVERSITY AND THE ENTIRE / INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC COMMUNITY.