God and Humanity at Marshall: Toward November 14 1970 and Beyond

The movie We Are Marshall brought national attention to the tragic loss and dramatic reconstitution of the schools football team. But neither this film nor the Emmy-winning documentary Marshall University: Ashes to Glory explores the spiritual context and effect of the plane crash. Few know that a visiting campus preacher touched the life of a popular defensive lineman the week before his ill-fated flight; that a campus minister was surprised several weeks later by a nighttime visit from students whod come to ask the Jesus man how to be saved; that two years before the crash a new young professor with a doctorate from India enlisted five students to help evangelize the campus; and that three decades later a devout linebacker urged the coach to change the name of a play since it was demeaning to women. The story extends back to the schools log-church beginnings up through the decades when campus Ys generated foreign missionaries to the national championship years when key players testified freely to their faith--nearly two centuries of spiritual highs (and yes lows) in the life of this remarkable school.