I have a bittersweet relationship with Marshall. Roger Childers was a linebacker for them in 1969. I had played three years of Babe Ruth Baseball with Roger before my family moved to Centerville. When Marshall did their walk through at Miami field in ‘69, I went down to the stadium to say hello. After the walkthrough he came over and we chatted for about 10 minutes until he had to go. QB Ted Shoebridge and WR Jack Repasy were curious and came over to see who Roger was talking to. He introduced me to both of them.
The next fall - while attending a Saturday night party on South Campus Avenue, a TV Bulletin interrupted the game we were watching to tell us the tragic news that the plane had crashed in Huntington and all aboard were killed.
When we played Marshall in Huntington in 2013, I made it a point to stop by their Phoenix Fountain to pay my respects.
Of course.I was a member of the Order of the Golden Horseshoe for my knowledge of WV history - as a 6th grader. They are the only state formed from the Confederacy. They were never a significant slave holding area. They hated the Tidewater aristocracy.
That is why is is so confounding that they embraced the Jim Crow “Lost Cause” philosophy that is still apparent there. Except for their worship of Stonewall Jackson, a Romney native, there is little reason for that historically.
Their schools were segregated until Brown vs the Board. The Marshall band played Dixie up until the late 60s. They even waved the Confederate flag at their games.
Makes little sense.
Other fun facts: Bluefield is further South than Richmond. Chester is further north than Pittsburgh, and Huntington farther west than Cleveland.
Famous author Pearl Buck was from Buckhanon and Soupy Sales was a Marshall grad.
And if you ironed West Virginia it would be bigger than Texas.
I was at a Marshall (not vs Miami) game about 5 years ago with another Miami guy. This Marshall tool starts screaming at him about how Miami ran an onside kickoff in the 2nd half of the 66-6 game. I thought there was no way, but I was curious. Turns out the entire game is available via Miami’s digital archive, so I watched every play. Yeah, no onside kick, as I suspected. Nescac described it accurately. There was a lone 4th quarter pass from the 25 into the end zone, but that was all.
Granted, in the post NIL world there are appreciably fewer rules regarding illegal inducements, but Marshall consistently played fast and loose with the rules before NIL.
This was the case through multiple coaching staffs and multiple athletic administrations. Boosters with track records of violations were allowed to continue to have a voice in the athletic department even after their transgressions came to light.
Marshall has no interest in returning to the MAC. I have no interest in having them.