HUNTINGTON - Marshall football is in its 50th year since the 1970 Marshall plane crash, which nearly ended the program. In this series, HD Media looks at the Top 50 moments in Herd football history since that tragedy on Nov. 14, 1970, which took the lives of all 75 patrons aboard Southern Airways Flight 932.

Today, we look at No. 20: Marshall’s 34-14 win over Toledo on Dec. 5, 1997, that gave the Herd the Mid-American Conference Championship.

WHEELERSBURG, Ohio — Wheelersburg High School tennis standout Tanner Preston signed to play at Capital University.

HURRICANE, W.Va. — The prep baseball season might have been canceled in West Virginia due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it wasn’t a complete wash for Hurricane High School’s Austin Dearing.

INSTITUTE, W.Va. — Kierstin Hensley continues to stockpile awards.

This will be the toughest, most difficult season in the history of collegiate football.

HUNTINGTON — Shonda Stanton shouts encouragement as young people work through drills, trying to improve their physical condition and athleticism.

EDITOR’S NOTE: When South Carolina scheduled Marshall for a Sept. 19, 1998 football game, the Thundering Herd was supposed to be a relatively easy victory for a Gamecocks team facing a tough Southeastern Conference schedule.

HUNTINGTON - Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick said Saturday that stadium social distancing plans are being assessed for a potential 2020 football season and season ticket holders will have priority should capacity decrease for social distancing purposes due to COVID-19.

FRANKLIN FURNACE, Ohio — Chad Coffman, quite frankly, knows all about coaching small-school high school football.

IRONTON — To run competitively, one must have a drive that matches the skill and competitiveness that he or she shows.

WESTWOOD, Ky. — There’s no place like home away from home.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Marshall University’s football victory over Bowling Green was one of the more-stunning upsets in college football history.

HUNTINGTON — West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission executive director Bernie Dolan says he is optimistic that there will be a 2020 high school football season in West Virginia.

It’s easy to see the small picture.

HUNTINGTON - Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick said on Wednesday that, currently, football players are the only players returning to campus for voluntary workouts.

HUNTINGTON — New coaches are among the more-optimistic people in society and that holds true even during challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cut, cut, cut. There are more cuts going on in college sports these days than during the filming of a Martin Scorsese movie. And some of them are almost as interesting.

HUNTINGTON - The NCAA's moratorium for on-campus activities expires May 31, opening the door for student-athletes to start voluntary workouts on June 1. While West Virginia University awaits a Big 12 decision, Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick said Herd football players are now en route to campus and are required to self-quarantine upon arrival.

COLUMBUS — During its May meeting Wednesday afternoon, the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to expand the OHSAA football playoffs from eight schools per region to 12 beginning in the 2021 season.

EDITOR’S NOTE: It was fitting that the wildest season to that point in Marshall University football history ended with possibly the most unbelievable game the Thundering Herd had ever played.

HUNTINGTON - On Wednesday, the NFHS released guidelines for each of its 51 state associations on how to approach bringing back high school athletics for the 2020-21 school year.

HUNTINGTON - Academic Progress Rate (APR) numbers released Tuesday by the NCAA showed that Marshall's student-athletes in women's sports are excelling in the classroom.

HUNTINGTON — Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and the Ohio High School Athletic Association will work together to develop a plan for high school sports in the fall of 2020.

HUNTINGTON — Danny Harbert has resigned as baseball coach at Huntington High School.

ONA — Eddie Smolder and Luke Salmons have been teammates in Little League, middle school and college, so they figured why not add high school to the list.

EDITOR’S NOTE: When quarterback Chad Pennington went down with an injury, Marshall University football fans thought the Thundering Herd’s Mid-American Conference championship hopes went with him.

IRONTON — Ted Newsome never pictured himself in orange and black.

Former Cabell Midland High School swimmer Chase Curry is making a splash in the pool and the classroom at Fairmont State University.

Welcome to “Second Guess” Tuesday.

The University of Kentucky announced Monday that it has fired all four of its cheerleading coaches after a three-month investigation found instances of "hazing activities, alcohol use and public nudity" by the school's cheerleading team at off-campus events.

HUNTINGTON — New coach, familiar face.

HUNTINGTON — Mike D’Antoni doesn’t mask his excitement for the potential return of the NBA season, but he will mask his face.

ROME TOWNSHIP, Ohio — “If you can’t beat them, join them” took on new meaning for Gunner Short.

HUNTINGTON — High school basketball coaches might want to watch their Ps and Qs before getting Ts next season.

RUSSELL, Ky. — The 43rd Annual Kiwanis Run By the River will take place by the hills, subdivisions, creeks and parks.

HUNTINGTON — The Ohio High School Athletic Association informed member schools Friday night it will lift the no-contact period for six sports beginning May 26.

EDITOR’S NOTE: When Michael Payton began his Marshall University football career, fans weren’t sure whether the youngster had what it took to be quarterback of the Thundering Herd.

HUNTINGTON - Marshall's administration is one of many around collegiate athletics that await Wednesday's NCAA Division I council meeting, which could open a path for college sports to resume on-campus activities on June 1.

Despite rising ticket prices, despite mandatory contributions to keep seats, despite rising concession prices, despite convenient game times being changed to inconvenient by television … . Despite all that and more, fans continue to attend. Yet, in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, what group of people is the first to be thrown under the bus by professional and collegiate sports leaders?

HUNTINGTON - In 1970, Dan and Mike D'Antoni were teammates for Marshall's men's basketball team. Fifty years later, they are teammates once again - albeit in another game: Bridge.

HUNTINGTON — The sound of bat meeting ball, the smell of popcorn and the sight of dust from a close play at second base are on the verge of returning in Ohio.