The Marshall Thundering Herd carry one of college football's most inspiring stories, forever tied to the 1970 plane crash that claimed the lives of players, coaches, and staff — a tragedy the program honors every season. Rebuilt from tragedy into a national power, Marshall became one of the most dominant FCS programs of the 1990s before transitioning to FBS and Sun Belt Conference play. The Thundering Herd play at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, where green-and-white crowds carry forward a legacy of resilience and pride.
Marshall fielded its first football team in 1895 and became a national power in the 1990s, winning back-to-back-adjacent Division I-AA national championships in 1992 and 1996 while also finishing as national runner-up three other times. The program transitioned to FBS competition and built a strong Conference USA tradition before joining the Sun Belt Conference. The 1970 Southern Airways plane crash that killed 75 people connected to the program remains central to Marshall's identity, memorialized in the film 'We Are Marshall.'
Source: RateGame Editorial