Qualla: Marshall University

Marshall University: Introduction

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Wv funnyman, CC BY-SA 4.0. November 14, 1970, was a Saturday. Marshall University's Thundering Herd football team had just lost a close game 17-14 to East Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina. On the flight home, Southern Airways Flight 932 clipped trees on approach to Tri-State Airport and crashed nose-first into a Cabell County hollow. All 75 people aboard were killed - 37 team members, 5 coaches, fans, supporters, and the flight crew. The crash remains the worst sports-related air disaster in American history. It defined Marshall in a way no university wants to be defined. The Memorial Fountain on the Student Center Plaza is turned off every year on November 14 and stays dry until the first day of spring football practice. The story of Marshall is the story of how an institution and its city kept going after a loss they had no way to absorb.

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Image: Wv funnyman | CC BY-SA 4.0

Marshall University: Founded by Subscription

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jeanne6924, CC BY-SA 4.0. Marshall began in 1837 as a private subscription school - meaning local families literally paid for it themselves - founded by residents of Guyandotte and the surrounding area. Local attorney John Laidley hosted the meeting that led to the founding of Marshall Academy, named for ...

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Image: Jeanne6924 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Marshall University: Becoming a University

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Samz73428091, CC BY 4.0. Marshall did not become a university until March 2, 1961, when the West Virginia Legislature elevated it formally. The change had been argued for decades. By that point Marshall had been offering master's degrees since 1938 in six fields including chemistry, education, history, p...

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Image: Samz73428091 | CC BY 4.0

Marshall University: The Crash

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Wv funnyman, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Marshall football program had been struggling. The 1969 athletic department faced scandals over recruiting violations, and both football and basketball coaches had been fired. The Thundering Herd entered 1970 trying to rebuild. The November 14 trip to Greenville for the game ...

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Image: Wv funnyman | CC BY-SA 4.0

Marshall University: Old Main and the Bricks

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Wv funnyman, CC BY-SA 4.0. Old Main, the oldest building on campus, is actually a complex of five connected buildings whose construction stretched from 1868 to 1907 - the additions added over four decades as the school grew. It anchors the campus visually and institutionally, serving as the primary adminis...

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Image: Wv funnyman | CC BY-SA 4.0

Marshall University: Famous Sons and Daughters

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0. The alumni list includes some of the most accomplished West Virginians of the past century. Robert C. Byrd received an honorary degree from Marshall and went on to become the longest-serving U.S. Senator in history. Billy Crystal attended Marshall and went on to nine Oscar-hostin...

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Image: Keith Allison | CC BY-SA 2.0