Wear Black and Gold Along With Your Blue!

This is a copy of an email I received this morning - it's being forwarded all over the place today :)

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Dear Colleagues:

I want to share with you the E-mail below from a former Wichita State football player – discussing a ceremony that will occur this Saturday at our men’s basketball game against the Shockers. Some of you may know that this academic year was the 40th anniversary of one of the most horrendous college sports tragedies in history – and an event in to which Utah State was associated. That Fall, the Wichita State football team was flying to Logan (in two planes) to play our Aggies. The two planes stopped in Denver to refuel. After they took off from Denver headed to Logan, one of the planes crashed and three-quarters of the players on board were killed. An awful tragedy.

This Saturday night, when the Shockers meet the Aggies in the Spectrum, is their first return as a team to Logan since that terrible autumn day. At the game, we will honor the memories of the lost opponents. The President of Wichita State is flying in for the ceremony. Below is an E-mail from one of the members of that team that survived (he was in the second plane). Reading his E-mail brought a tear to my eye.

How lucky are we to work at an institution like Utah State! This is a “first class” place and I, for one, am proud to be associated with this great university.

Ray
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Email Subject: URGENT! URGENT! URGENT! URGENT!

To the AD, the PIO, and anyone else who can read or hear this!

This is a statement instead of a question, but it needs saying. I just learned of your University's plans to honor the WSU '70 Football Team during this Saturday's game with the WSU Men's Basketball Team.

As you have noted, this is the 40th Anniversary of that tragic event where the WSU Football team crashed in route to Logan for a game. As a member of that team (who was on the other plane), I have heard many stories, memories, and even this year's documentary on the crash by a local Wichita Television station (KTPS), but there is one story I haven't seen mentioned, and it focuses on the Aggie Football Team.

Most people around at that time and who followed those tragic events have heard about the Aggies' salute that following Saturday to the fallen Shockers who were supposed to be taking the field at that time for their football game. The Aggies were on the field, but not in crazed excitement waiting for the kickoff. They were there in silent reverence to those who lost their lives, and they placed a Black and Gold (WSU's colors) wreath at the 50 Yard Line. While most have heard that story, what they may not have heard, at least nationally, is what the players, their wives, girlfriends, and other supporters did for us early that next morning after the crash.

To get us back home to our University and our families, officials had gotten us on a regularly scheduled flight back to Wichita, flying out of Salt Lake. To get there early enough, we had to be up at 3:00 A.M. to board the buses that would take us to catch the flight.

Just before we had planned to waken for the trip (though most of us couldn't sleep that night, sleeping aids or not.), we were awakened by gentle knocking on our motel room doors. Upon opening the doors, we were greeted by players, cheerleaders, staff, family and friends of Utah State. They were there to wish us a safe trip and to present us with sack lunches they had been up all night preparing so that we might have something to eat on our long ride to Salt Lake.

Catching us off guard at first, we quickly understood what they had done, and so there we were, two groups standing face to face; two groups who later that day were to have been going at each other, face to face, in a highly physical and combative sport where our only goal was to win.

Now, all that had changed, and none of us understood why. Now, these once “planned combatants" were looking at each other not knowing what to say. Soon, though, the unity and fellowship of college sports and human behavior took over, and we all began to offer and receive condolences, best wishes for the upcoming trip, and most of all, big burly young men who were supposed to be pounding on each other within hours, were now crying and hugging each other, recognizing all that both teams had endured that day in Logan Utah.

Upon the announcement locally on WSU's Sports Web Page, that during this Saturday's game with the Shockers, Utah State would acknowledge that this year is the 40th Anniversary of this tragedy (and also the fist time WSU has been back to Logan Utah since the crash!), many of the Shocker Family have sent in emails talking about how "Classy" this is on behalf of your University, and how USU has just managed to acquire a huge number of new and loyal supporters of your Programs.

To this day, when I think back to all the trying and emotional aspects of that trip both as a team member who lost teammates, as well as an individual who lost a close friend who I'd had since Junior High, the actions of the Utah State Football Team, the Cheerleaders, and the other supporters and staff... at 3 in the morning...

Now, to me, THAT was a "Class Act" that I for one will never forget! Thank you again for your plans for Saturday's game, and even though I will forever be a Shocker fan and will be routing for them in the game, I just want to add that if we have to lose... I'll be glad it was to you guys, a "Really Classy Bunch!"

Rusty Featherstone