Southern Airways Flight 932 was a chartered DC-9 commercial jet flight from Stallings Field in Kinston, North Carolina to Ceredo, West Virginia. On November 14, 1970, the aircraft crashed into a hill just short of the airport, killing all 75 people on board. The plane was carrying 37 members of the Marshall University football squad, eight members of the coaching staff, 25 boosters, and four flight crew members.
The team was returning home after a 17-14 loss against the East Carolina University Pirates. At the time, Marshall University’s athletic teams rarely traveled by plane. The team had originally planned to cancel the flight, but changed plans and chartered the DC-9. The aircraft collided with the tops of trees on a hillside west of the runway.
As a result of the impact, the plane burst into flames and the accident was deemed “unsurvivable.” On November 15, a memorial service was held at the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse where there were moments of silence, remembrances, and prayers. Classes at Marshall were canceled. The crash almost led to the university football program being discontinued.
