Marshall University Football Team Analysis

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Another scene within the movie comes when Dedmon travels alone all the way to Kansas City to personally get permission from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. After the tragic loss in the plane crash, Marshall University only had underclassmen prepared to play varsity football. Head coach, Jack Lengyel, was in charge of recruiting new players for the team once it was confirmed that the program was going to remain alive. Lengyel had an extremely difficult time convincing athletes to come to this university after losing almost every starter from the year before. Before the year 1971, freshman were not allowed to play varsity college football by rule of the NCAA. So, by Dedmon personally getting permission by the NCAA to play freshman, …show more content…

After winning this game, only having one more win the rest of their season, the Marshall University Thundering Herd headed to the locker room to celebrate their first victory as a team. More than an hour later, the team and coaching staff enter onto the field again to find that almost all of the community members had never left. Many made their way onto the field and all rejoiced as they finally had faith in the football team’s success again. Everyone still there feared if they left, then it might not be true. The energy in the air inside of the stadium in this scene made all of the players and community members glow. The sacrifices and pains that the families in Huntington, West Virginia had put up with, all seemed to clear their mind as all they could replay in their minds was that last play. By bringing families together that may not have seen each other since the crash, allowing families to momentarily forget the past, and giving the city something to be excited for, this scene clearly illustrates how the game played between the young men in this football program has more affect on society than meets the eye. The unity and familyhood that is present in Appalachian communities we know now were derived from moments like these, making college football the catalyst to the Appalachian community

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