— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University (then Marshall College) athletics entered the television age on November 24, 1949, when the growing regional TV audience witnessed a 13-7 Herd football win over Xavier at Fairfield Stadium in Huntington.
That game was shown on a television station that had then been on the air less than a year — WSAZ, the first television station licensed in West Virginia.
WSAZ’s first Marshall basketball telecast occurred just two weeks later during the Herd’s 88-4 win over Concord at downtown Huntington’s Vanity Fair Arena.
The partnership is set to return as Marshall Athletics and WSAZ announced this week they are again partnering as the Gray Television outlet.
Marshall has agreed on a multi-year deal that will make WSAZ the ‘Home of the Herd’ and the official television station of MU athletics.
“We are thrilled to announce this partnership and become the official television station of Marshall Athletics,” WSAZ Vice President and General Manager Joel Swisher said. “This partnership brings together two powerhouses to expand local coverage and highlight our student athletes.”
The announcement ends a similar arrangement with Sinclair Broadcasting’s WCHS and WVAH.
In making the announcement, Marshall and WSAZ said the station’s coverage of Marshall athletics would feature dedicated programming with exclusive behind-the-scenes content as well as comprehensive coverage before, during and after games that provides information and entertainment across all WSAZ broadcasts and platforms, including the WSAZ+ streaming app.
Both groups say more announcements will be made soon on additional Marshall programming as part of the new arrangement.
“WSAZ has long been a trusted and valuable part of the Huntington community and the Tri-State region, and we are excited to welcome them as an official media partner of Marshall Athletics,” Marshall Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison said. “We look forward to working together to share the stories of our student-athletes, coaches and programs – and to remind people throughout our region why it is always a great day to run with The Herd!”
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Marshall quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson added to his preseason accolades this week, and was named to the 2026 Hispanic Player of the Year Watch List by the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday afternoon.
Del Rio-Wilson was one of 20 players named to the list, which is given annually to the nation’s top player of Hispanic descent.
“Hispanic athletes are driving the future of college football, and this Watch List ensures their extraordinary achievements get the national spotlight they’ve earned,” Hispanic Football Hall of Fame Founding Board Member Ron Rivera said. “Their stories bring great pride to our community.”
Del Rio-Wilson has also been named to the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey O’Brien Award and the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy heading into 2026.
In July, Del Rio-Wilson was named as the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and was a 2026 Preseason All-SBC First Team selection at quarterback by Phil Steele Publications, Athlon Sports and the SBC’s coaches.