— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall football’s fall drills begin Wednesday, but a pre-practice tradition was repeated Thursday.
Members of this year’s team gathered at Joan C. Edwards Stadium before making the more than one-mile run down Huntington’s 20th Street to Spring Hill Cemetery. That’s where a memorial marks the final resting place of six members of the 1970 Thundering Herd football team who were among 75 players, coaches, administrators, fans and air crew to perish in a plane crash just short of the Tri-State Airport runway as the team was returning from a game at East Carolina.
The tradition began during former head coach Doc Holliday’s time at Marshall.
During Thursday’s visit to the memorial, the team heard from former Marshall player Michael Owens and team chaplain Steve Harvey, who explained the story of the 1970 team and that their loss is still remembered in the Huntington community and by Marshall fans everywhere.
The day also included a breakfast for the players, coaches and football staff at the Shewey Athletic Center that was cooked and served by a group of Marshall football alumni known as the “Herd Brothers.”
Former Herd offensive lineman Norm Strickland is the president of Herd Brothers and says that creating a bond between past players and the current team is crucial.
“We wanted to serve breakfast to the guys and demonstrate to them what being a “Herd Brother” is all about,” Strickland said. “It all goes back to the idea that if you want to show appreciation to someone in Southern West Virginia, you feed them. This helps the guys understand that they are now Herd Brothers when they become part of the Marshall Football family.”
Strickland noted many players come to Marshall who have transferred from other schools and might not understand the close bond between the football program and the Huntington community.
“These kids have come from lots of places and each college football program claims to be different or special, but it really is different here because of our history,” Strickland said. “This is the first chance for some of the guys to understand that history and realize what they’ve joined here at Marshall.”
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Ethan Bowens of Marshall track & field was named a 2026 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient for the Spring 2026 sports cycle.
Bowens, a native of Wayne, was one of only 42 people nationwide to receive the prestigious honor for the spring cycle, which carries with it a $10,000 scholarship that goes toward graduate studies.
The award recognizes student-athletes from spring sports across all three divisions — Division I, Division II and Division III — who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievements, athletic excellence and leadership within their communities.
Bowen was also recognized last October at the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Honors Banquet in Atlanta after winning the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Overall Male Postgraduate Scholarship Award — the Sun Belt’s highest academic honor for a male student-athlete.
“We are incredibly proud of Ethan for receiving this prestigious honor and thankful to the NCAA for recognizing his efforts,” Marshall Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison said. “Ethan embodies everything that the Herd Mentality represents, showing leadership in athletics, academics and the community while also being a wonderful ambassador for Marshall Athletics. Being one of only 42 recognized for the spring season among the thousands of student-athletes nationally is an amazing accomplishment that everyone at Marshall University should be proud of.”