I seen this movie tonight with my parents (I own a bootleg copy of it, sue me). We just finished watching it. The movie was AWESOME. It hit me pretty hard at certain points. Like when the plane crashed, and when one of the members of the team that wasn't on the plane, Nate Ruffin, would get emotional. It showed how much he cared for the team and his friends that passed away. Matthew McConaughey did an awesome job as the new coach. Everyone in the movie did. It was put together very well. Now, here comes the Chad talk. Towards the ending, if anyone saw it, they showed clips of the 'future' of the schools years, as far as the football teams went. They showed a quick clip of Chad alone in what appeared to be in the huddle, and then another with him holding hands with a bunch of the players. Topic of discussion is anyone know how Chad felt about the movie, and how much of an impact do you think the plane crash had on Chad and his teammates when it was their time to shine at Marshall.
Nate Ruffin for the record. It was an awesome movie and I definitely noticed the closeup of Chad. I recommend this movie also.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9878663 We Are Marshall an inspiring tale By Chad Pennington Special to NFL.com NOTE: We Are Marshall, which opens in theaters nationwide on Dec. 22, tells the inspiring true story of how a community responded after one of the worst disasters in the history of American sports. CAA Sports, working with FSPR and Warner Bros., arranged a private screening last week for New York Jets quarterback -- and Marshall alum -- Chad Pennington. (Dec. 18, 2006) -- When you're a freshman student-athlete at Marshall University, you are made well aware of the history of the program and the significance of the 1970 plane crash that killed almost the entire football team, coaching staff and other prominent members of the Huntington, W.V., community. 'We Are Marshall' features some big names among its excellent acting talent. I'm probably biased, but We Are Marshall is a terrific movie that does a really good job of telling the story of what happened after the crash. It's easy to see how they very well could have ended the football program at Marshall at that time. Who knows how that would have affected those of us who played for Marshall in subsequent years? We Are Marshall does a nice job of showing the world how the program literally rose from the ashes. Matthew McConaughey plays Jack Lengyel, who comes from a small school in Ohio to become the head coach of Marshall and is charged with rebuilding the team. Matthew Fox plays Red Dawson, an assistant coach who is reluctant to rejoin the team after he missed the plane that crashed when he was sent on a recruiting trip at the last minute. David Strathairn plays the university president who must deal with helping to rebuild the program while also getting criticized by those in the community who were not emotionally prepared to see the program start up again. The acting in the movie is excellent from top to bottom, and it makes for an intensely emotional experience. My wife and I both cried watching We Are Marshall, but I don't think you have to be connected to Marshall to be affected. Normally an inspirational story has a foundation. Here, there was no foundation -- they had to start from scratch. There were a couple of players left, one coach, and that basically was it. To see how people were able to rise up, bond together and lay a new foundation is pretty amazing. And the success that Marshall enjoyed several years down the road was a testament to what happened back then. One of the side stories that hit home for me was that of Keith Morehouse, who was 9 years old when his father died in the crash. Keith's dad was the radio announcer for Marshall's games, and Keith ended up following in his father's footsteps. I have a really good relationship with Keith Morehouse to this day -- he did all my games there and still does Marshall games on TV. To see him depicted as a child, in the wake of the tragedy -- that really hit home with me. It was very surreal to watch. The movie tells the story of the reconstruction and rebirth of Marshall football. Much of the movie was filmed in Huntington, and it was also a little surreal to see the landmarks that were a part of my college experience -- they show the dormitories that I lived in, and there's a scene on the basketball court I used to play on. Even though the movie takes place in 1970 and 1971, the Huntington scenery is still very familiar. They use the Keith-Albee Theater as a backdrop in a few scenes, and that's where we used to go to watch movies on Friday nights before home games. By the time I finished my playing career at Marshall, I truly understood the impact of the tragedy that took place 25 years before I got there. All Marshall players, to this day, understand that they are not only playing for themselves and their community -- they are playing for a legacy. The Marshall story really made an impact in my life -- and I am so proud to be a part of the university's history. All incoming freshman football players need to see this movie -- so they can understand what our story is, what our university is all about. It would really kind of set the foundation for every football player to understand what they've gone through. We Are Marshall certainly hits home for me, but I also think it's such a good movie that I think anyone who sees it would be inspired.
Chad was not even born yet when the plane crase occurred. I saw him in an interview about the movie, and he said he was not aware of the great impact (no pun intended) of the plane crash on Marshall until his junior year.
Yep... when the players get to campus, they are made aware of what the crash did to the program and the community at large. There is a memorial service every November 14th next to the student union at the memorial fountain. During the service, the fountain is turned off, not to be turned on again until the following spring. The fountain itself is this swoopy, amorphic shape. By the time the senior players leave, they understand.
Hello fellow Jets fans! Congrats on the win and playoffs!! I (obviously)went to Marshall and I can tell you that every time a football team wins "a big one" at MU, they honor those lost in the crash. When you are a student at that school, athlete or not, it becomes a part of you. As mentioned above, every year on Nov. 14, the fountain on campus is turned off for the winter in a service to memorialize those who were lost. Alot of people have accused us of bringing this tragedy out of the closet and dusting it off when Hollywood came to town. That couldn't be further from the truth. I was at Marshall in the 1990's, during our "hayday" so to speak. I was there when we won our first national championship. Every player interviewed that day mentioned the 1970 team. The fans tore down the goal post and took part of it to the memorial site where the 6 unidentified players are buried together. One player even made the mention that all 5th year seniors on that team were born the same year of the crash and it was kind of a full circle event to win that Championship for the team, the community, and the lost players. I don't know Chad personally, but I know how the tragedy effects me as a regular student of MU. I can only imagine how it effects someone lucky enough to wear the same uniform as those who were lost. GO HERD! GO JETS!
You can barely make them out in the picture, but each individual metal piece at the top of the fountain represents a life lost in the crash, there are 75 of them on the fountain.
Hi Jets fans. You can be sure that there are many, many Marshall fans cheering on Chad this year and into the playoffs. The only trouble we have is that Troy Brown is on the Patriots. These two are true sons of Marshall.
Did anybody purchase the ESPN Marshall video from Wal-Mart? If so do you know if the special features include the entire 1999 MAC Title game with Chadwick?
Crap...I got that for christmas and it's still in the wrapping...I'll open it right now and watch it and let you know! Peace! The Mezz Have been sucked into the Saban topic all day...couldn't have happened to a better team! ;-) he he he he he he
Thanks for posting that article. I'd been wondering what Chad thought of the movie and I had not seen any comments from him on it. I haven't seen it yet.
Ok...started the "Return of the Thundering Herd" The story that inspired We are Marshall.... For anyone that is a Chap Pennington fan or a fan of inspiration this is a must see BEFORE you go see the actual movie if you can... Can be had at Walmart....all kinds of interviews of former players....including Chad.... This is good... Peace!!! The Mezz
I saw it last night. I think it is a MUST see for everybody, especially sports fans. Very, very emotional and well done.
