The 1970 Wichita Shockers football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

team that represented

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

as a member of the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

during the

1970 NCAA University Division football season The 1970 NCAA University Division football season was marked by tragedy, due to two airplane crashes. On October 2, one of the planes carrying the Wichita State football team crashed on the way to a game against Utah State, killing 31 people on ...

. The team compiled a 0–9 record (0–4 against conference opponents), finished last out of five teams in the MVC, and was outscored by a total of 381 to 99. The team played its home games at

Cessna Stadium Cessna Stadium is a 24,000-seat stadium on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It opened in 1946 and served as the home of the Wichita State Shockers track and field team until 2020 and the football team unt ...

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

. Head coach Ben Wilson, 14 players, and 16 others died on October 2 in the

Wichita State University football team plane crash In clear and calm weather in Colorado at 1:14 p.m. MDT on Friday, October 2, 1970, a chartered Martin 4-0-4 airliner crashed into a mountain eight miles (13 km) west of Silver Plume. Operated by Golden Eagle Aviation, the twin-engine ...

Bob Seaman Joseph Robert Seaman (March 28, 1932 – August 13, 2018) was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Wichita State University from 1971 to 1973 and at Emporia State University from 1979 to 1982, compiling a career c ...

took over as head coach after the crash. The team's statistical leaders included Rick Baehr with 513 passing yards, Don Gilley with 290 rushing yards and 12 points scored, Bill Moore with 175 receiving yards.

Schedule

Pre-season

The team included 22 returning lettermen led by junior quarterback Bob Renner, senior fullback Randy Jackson, and middle linebacker John Hoheisel. Hoheisel, who was described by coach Wilson in the preseason as "the heart and soul of our defense", was selected as the team captain. Prior to the start of the season, second-year head coach Ben Wilson described his squad as a young club with good team speed, room to improve, and "a chance to surprise a lot of people."

September games

On September 12, Wichita State opened its season with a 41–14 loss to

Gene Stallings Eugene Clifton Stallings Jr. (born March 2, 1935) is a retired American football player and coach. He played college football at Texas A&M University (1954–1956), where he was one of the "Junction Boys", and later served as the head coach at ...

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname " Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Agg ...

before a crowd of 30,006 in

College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, Brazos County, Texas, situated in East-Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-n ...

. They followed with losses to

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

on September 19 and on September 26.

Plane crash

On Friday, October 2, 1970, Wichita State traveled to Logan, Utah, in two chartered planes, designated as "Gold" and "Black" according to the school colors, for a game against

Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

. The "Gold" plane carrying the first-team players and staff crashed in Colorado's

Loveland Pass Loveland Pass is a high mountain pass in north-central Colorado, at an elevation of above sea level in the Rocky Mountains of the Western United States. Background It is located on the Continental Divide in the Front Range, west of Denver on U ...

. Thirty-one persons were killed in the crash, including the following 14 players: # Marvin Brown, sophomore, running back, Solomon, Kansas - age 18 # Don Christian, junior, defensive back,

Duncan, Oklahoma Duncan is a city and county seat of Stephens County, Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 22,310 at the 2020 census. Its main claim to fame is as the birthplace of the Halliburton Corporation. Erle P. Halliburton established the New Meth ...

- age 22 # John Dunren, sophomore, quarterback, Oklahoma City - age 19 # Ron Johnson, senior, defensive back, Kansas City, Missouri - age 21 # Randy Kieusau, junior, running back, Clinton, Oklahoma - age 20 # Mal Kimmel, center,

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Ste. Genevieve (french: Sainte-Geneviève ) is a city in Ste. Genevieve Township and is the county seat of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,999 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1735 by French Canadian coloni ...

- age 21 # Carl Krueger, sophomore, tackle, Chicago - age 19 # Steve Moore, senior, linebacker, Derby, Kansas - age 21 # Tom Owen, junior, running back,

Temple Terrace, Florida Temple Terrace is an incorporated city in northeastern Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, adjacent to Tampa. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 26,690. It is the third and smallest incorporated municipality in Hillsb ...

- age 20 # Gene Robinson, junior, offensive end,

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

- age 21 # Tom Shedden, junior, tackle, Oklahoma City - age 20 # Rick Stines, guard, Kansas City, Kansas - age 19 # John Taylor, back, Sherman, Texas - died later in the month from injuries sustained in the crash # Jack Vetter Jr., senior, lineman, McPherson, Kansas - age 22 The fatalities also included head coach Ben Wilson (and his wife Helen), athletic director Bert Katzenmeyer (and his wife Marian), team manager Marty Harrison (age 19), team trainer Tom Reeves, admissions director Carl Fahrbach, ticket manager Floyd Farmer, Shocker Club chairman Ray Coleman (and his wife Maxine), Kansas state representative Ray King (and his wife Yvonne), the plane's pilot Dan Crocker, and two stewardesses.ESPN Classic – Wichita State suffers tragic plane crash
/ref> In addition to the 14 players killed, eight other players survived the crash with varying degrees of injury: # Mike Bruce, tight end/offensive tackle, Sherman, Texas - He later recalled: "When we climbed out of the plane, I could tell I was in about the best condition. I headed down the mountain to get help and a pickup came and took me up to a construction site where we called for help." # John Hoheisel, linebacker and team captain,

Garden Plain, Kansas Garden Plain is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 948. History Garden Plain had its start by the building of the ''Wichita and Western Railroad'' from Wichita to Kingm ...

- hospitalized in fair condition after the crash # Randy Jackson, fullback, Atlanta, Texas - escaped through a hole in the fuselage; hospitalized in serious condition after the crash with deep lacerations on his face and multiple bruises; he returned from his injuries to lead the 1971 team with 820 rushing yards and 48 points scored # Glenn Kostal, linebacker, Chicago - dug his way out from under a pile of debris, dirt and tree limbs and crawled through a rip in the fuselage; sustained a broken leg # Dave Lewis, lineman, Duncan, Oklahoma - listed in satisfactory condition after the crash # Keith Morrison, defensive end,

Hawkins, Texas Hawkins is a city in Wood County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,274 at the 2020 census. It is located twenty miles north of the larger city of Tyler. Just east of the community is Jarvis Christian University, a historically bl ...

- thrown from the plane as it crashed, he sustained major injuries to his right foot and ankle, a deep gash to his knee, and burn injuries on his right arm and back # Bob Renner, junior, quarterback,

- listed in satisfactory condition after the crash; sustained a leg injury in the crash and was unable resume his role as the team's No. 1 quarterback # Rick Stephens, lineman,

Andover, Kansas Andover is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States, and a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 14,892. Andover is the most populated city in Butler County. History 19th century When the Kansas ...

- thrown from the airplane in the crash and knocked unconscious, lost several teeth On the scheduled game day, the team held a memorial service at

Romney Stadium Maverik Stadium, also known as Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium, is an outdoor college football stadium in the western United States, on the campus of Utah State University in Logan, Utah. The home field of the Utah State Aggies of the Moun ...

in Logan and placed a wreath on the 50-yard line. Classes at Wichita State were canceled for Monday, October 5, and a memorial service was held that evening at the school's

. The following month,

Southern Airways Flight 932 Southern Airways Flight 932 was a chartered Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 domestic United States commercial jet flight from Stallings Field (ISO) in Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS) near ...

carrying the Marshall University football team crashed, killing 37 members of that team. At the end of the season, a nationally televised fundraising program hosted by

Monty Hall Monty Hall (born Monte Halparin; August 25, 1921 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sport ...

was aired to raise money for the victims of the two crashes.

"Second season"

After the crash, the team's scheduled games against

and

Southern Illinois Southern Illinois, also known as Little Egypt, is the southern third of Illinois, principally along and south of Interstate 64. Although part of a Midwestern state, this region is aligned in culture more with that of the Upland South than the Mi ...

were cancelled. However, the surviving members of the team voted 76-to-1 to complete the 1970 schedule. The remaining portion of the schedule was designated the "second season." Assistant coach

took over as the team's head coach after the crash. On October 24, 1970, the team played the first game after the crash. With permission from the NCAA, the Shockers played seven freshmen in their starting lineup. Facing an

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

team ranked No. 9 in the country, Wichita lost by a 62–0 score. The Arkansas crowd cheered for the effort demonstrated by Wichita State, and Arkansas coach

Frank Broyles John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missouri ...

benched his first team after seven minutes and used 61 players in the game. On October 31, the Shockers lost by at 35–5 score to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

before a homecoming crowd of 27,210. Prior to the game, a 15-minute ceremony featuring astronaut John Swigert was held to commemorate the team's return to

for its first game since the crash. The Shockers started seven freshmen and 10 sophomores and scored five points on a 37-yard field goal by John Potts and a safety when Cincinnati quarterback Bill Carter was tackled in the end zone. On November 7, the Shockers showed marked improvement in a 21–12 loss to

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. Trailing 21–6 in the fourth quarter, Wichita's freshman quarterback Tom Owen threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to wingback Tim Thissen to narrow the score to 21–12. On November 14, Wichita lost to

Memphis State } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...

by a 51–6 score. The Shockers only points were scored in the first quarter on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tom Owen to Eddie Plopa. On November 21, the Shockers lost to by a 41–24 score. The highlight of the game for Wichita was a 105-yard kickoff return by tailback Don Gilley in the first quarter. Wichita's freshman quarterback Rick Baher also threw two touchdown passes, and John Potts kicked a 47-yard field goal. In the final game of the season, the Shockers took a 17–0 lead over

Lee Corso Lee Richard Corso (born August 7, 1935) is an American sports broadcaster and football analyst for ESPN and a former coach. He has been a featured analyst on ESPN's '' College GameDay'' program since its inception in 1987. Corso served as the he ...

's bowl-bound

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. However, the Cardinals came back to win the game by a 34–24 score.

Roster

The following players from the 1970 team were not on the plane that crashed: * Rick Baehr, led the team with 513 passing yards * Warren Barkell * Jim DeFontes * Don Gilley, led the team with 290 rushing yards and 12 points scored * Robin Hardridge * Wayne Haynes * John Lee * Bernie Leece * Mark McClellan * Bill Moore, led the team with 12 receptions and 175 receiving yards * Eddie Plopa * Chris Sutherland * Lou Tabor * Tim Thissen * John Yeros

References

External links

"Black & Gold: Remembering The WSU Plane Carsh"
- PBS feature documentary on the 1970 plane crash
"Surviving Oct 2nd: Remembering the Fallen with Rick Stephens"
- short documentary piece produced by WSU TV {{Wichita State Shockers football navbox

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

Wichita State Shockers football seasons College football winless seasons

Wichita State Shockers football The Wichita State Shockers football team was the college football program of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. The Shockers fielded a team from 1897 to 1986. They played their home games at Cessna Stadium and were members of the Misso ...