Marshall
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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The Marshall Thundering Herd is the Marshall University's representation in the NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision football tournament, playing under the Eastern Division of the Conference USA. Marshall's football program started play in 1895 as an independent team. Despite playing without a coach on its first six years since its inception, the team managed to sail through the above .500 winning mark in four of those seasons. In 1902, the team was coached by George Ford to an undefeated 5-0-2 record. The team remained in the independent scene for 30 seasons, before joining the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1925. The Thundering Herd opened their campaign in the WVIAC with a 3-0-2 conference record, enroute to its first conference championship. Marshall claimed three conference titles with the WVIAC (1925, '28, '31), and while still a member of that conference, Marshall also affiliated itself with the Buckeye Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1933. Marshall, after being classified as an NJCAA school, had its lone championship with the BIAA in 1937 after recording 4-wins, no loss, and a tie in conference play. Marshall left the BIAA in 1938, and ended its affiliation with the WVIAC in 1946. As an Independent squad, the team managed to play in its first Bowl Game in 1948 in the New Year's Day edition of the Tangerine Bowl, with Marshall losing via shut-out to Catawba. From the 1950 season onwards, Marshall experienced a huge dip with season after season of disappointing performances. The tragic performance of the team in the field though did not compare to the tragic loss the team suffered in 1970, in the plane crash that cost the lives of many Marshall Thundering Herd players, coaches, and staff.
The team was able to bounce back in the 1980's when coach Stan Parrish took over as coach. In 1984, the Thundering Herd started what would be a 21-year streak of winning seasons with a 6-5 record, and culminated in 1988 when the team posted a 6-1-0 conference record that brought the team its first Southern Conference title (shared). The team captured a couple more Southern Conference championships in 1994 and '96 before migrating to the Mid-American Athletic Conference and being reclassified as a Division I-A school in 1997. It was a good debut in the MAC for Marshall, highlighted by the first of four consecutive MAC championships and their first Bowl Game in the Division I-A. The team made it into the postseason Bowl Game in six straight seasons, stringing 5 consecutive Bowl Game wins in that span. In 2005, Marshall jumpshipped to the Conference USA where the 21 consecutive winning seasons was broken (4-7 record) under new Coach and former Herd DB, Mark Snyder.
Contents |
Ranking
| Year | Record | AP Rank | Coach Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 13-0-0 | 10 | 10 |
| 2001 | 11-2-0 | 21 | |
| 2002 | 11-2-0 | 24 | 19 |
Scouting Report
| Category | C-USA Rank | National Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring Offense | 10 | 77 |
| Scoring Defense | 8 | 102 |
| Total Offense | 6 | 44 |
| Total Defense | 7 | 107 |
| Turnover Margin | 12 | 107 |
| Pass Efficiency Defense | 10 | 110 |
| Kickoff Returns | 5 | 55 |
| Net Punting | 6 | 78 |
| Passing Offense | 6 | 29 |
| Passing Defense | 6 | 100 |
| Passing Efficiency | 5 | 43 |
| Punt Returns | 5 | 51 |
| Rushing Offense | 9 | 70 |
| Rushing Defense | 7 | 93 |
Championships
National Championships
- 1992 - NCAA Division I-AA National Champions
- 1996 - NCAA Division I-AA National Champions
Conference Championships
- 1925 - West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions
- 1928 - West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions
- 1931 - West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions
- 1937 - Buckeye Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions
- 1988 - Southern Conference Co-Champions
- 1994 - Southern Conference Champions
- 1996 - Southern Conference Champions
- 1997 - Mid-American Athletic Conference Champions
- 1998 - Mid-American Athletic Conference Champions
- 1999 - Mid-American Athletic Conference Champions
- 2000 - Mid-American Athletic Conference Champions
- 2002 - Mid-American Athletic Conference Champions
Division Championships
- 1997 - MAC - East Division Champions
- 1998 - MAC - East Division Champions
- 1999 - MAC - East Division Champions
- 2000 - MAC - East Division Champions
- 2001 - MAC - East Division Champions
- 2002 - MAC - East Division Champions
Marshall University Bowl History
| Year | Bowl Game | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 23, 2004 | Fort Worth Bowl | Cincinnati | L | 14-32 |
| Dec 18, 2002 | GMAC Bowl | Louisville | W | 38-15 |
| Dec 19, 2001 | GMAC Bowl | East Carolina | W | 64-61 |
| Dec 27, 2000 | Motor City Bowl | Cincinnati | W | 25-14 |
| Dec 27, 1999 | Motor City Bowl | Brigham Young | W | 21-3 |
| Dec 23, 1998 | Motor City Bowl | Louisville | W | 48-29 |
| Dec 26, 1997 | Motor City Bowl | Mississippi | L | 31-34 |
| Year | Bowl Game | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 01, 1948 | Tangerine Bowl | Catawba | L | 0-7 |
Highlights
| The Kick. In 1992, the Marshall Thundering Herd faced the Youngstown State Penguins in the Division I-AA Championship Game. Willie Merrick, a senior kicker for Marshall, iced the game for the Thundering Herd with the decisive kick to give his team its first ever national championship. |
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08.30.08 | Illinois State | Huntington, W.Va. | W, 35-10 |
| 09.06.08 | Wisconsin | Madison, Wis. | L, 14-51 |
| 09.13.08 | Memphis | Huntington, W.Va. | |
| 09.20.08 | Southern Miss | Hattiesburg, Miss. | |
| 09.27.08 | West Virginia | Morgantown, W.Va. | |
| 10.03.08 | Cincinnati | Huntington, W.Va. | |
| 10.18.08 | UAB | Birmingham, Ala. | |
| 10.28.08 | Houston | Huntington, W.Va. | |
| 11.08.08 | East Carolina | Greenville, N.C. | |
| 11.15.08 | Central Florida | Huntington, W.Va. | |
| 11.22.08 | Rice | Houston, Tx. | |
| 11.29.08 | Tulsa | Huntington, W.Va. |
Roster
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Pos. | Cl.-Exp. | Hometown (High School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darius Passmore | 6-3 | 188 | WR | SR-1L | Florida City, Fla. |
| 2 | Terrell Edwards | 6-2 | 208 | RB | RS FR-SQ | Mobile, Ala. (UMS Wright) |
| 3 | E.J. Wynn | 5-11 | 174 | WR | SR-3L | Washington, D.C. (St. John's) |
| 4 | C.J. Spillman | 6-0 | 192 | DB | SR-3L | Louisville, Ky. (Central) |
| 5 | Darius Marshall | 5-10 | 189 | RB | SO-1L | Milledgeville, Ga. (Baldwin) |
| 6 | Ahmed Shakoor | 5-11 | 195 | CB | FR-HS | Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stephenson) |
| 7 | Tyrone Carper | 5-9 | 174 | DB | SO | Bluefield, Va. (Graham) |
| 8 | Brandon Burns | 6-4 | 205 | DB | JR-JC | Columbiana, Ala. (Shelby County) |
| 8 | Shay Dunnigan | 6-2 | 210 | QB | FR | Pulaski, Va. (Pulaski County) |
| 9 | Wesley Beardain | 6-1 | 208 | QB | JR-1L | Winona, Miss. (Winona) |
| 9 | Antavious Wilson | 6-0 | 180 | WR | FR-HS | Pahokee, Fla. (Pahokee) |
| 10 | Mark Cann | 6-4 | 238 | QB | RS FR | Landrum, S.C. (Landrum) |
| 11 | Zearrick Matthews | 5-9 | 184 | DB | JR-2L | Greenwood, S.C. (Greenwood) |
| 12 | Brian Anderson | 6-3 | 217 | QB | RS SO-1L | Louisville, Ky. (Male) |
| 13 | T.J. Drakeford | 5-11 | 184 | DB | RS FR | Charlotte, N.C. (Independence) |
| 14 | Josh Miller | 5-10 | 184 | DB | JR-JC | Fresno, Calif. |
| 15 | D.J. Wingate | 6-2 | 180 | DB | SO-1L | Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland) |
| 16 | Lee Smith | 6-6 | 258 | TE | SO-1L | Powell, Tenn. (Powell) |
| 17 | DeQuan Bembry | 5-10 | 173 | DB | RS FR | Hawkinsville, Ga. (Hawkinsville) |
| 18 | Jonathan Garner | 6-4 | 219 | QB | JR-SQ | Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland) |
| 19 | Maurice Graham | 6-5 | 306 | TE | JR-JC | Fresno, Calif. (Washington Union) |
| 19 | John Saunders | 6-0 | 193 | DB | JR-2L | Huntington, W.Va. (Cabell Midland) |
| 20 | Ashton Hall | 5-10 | 193 | DB | JR-2L | Kingsland, Ga. (Camden County) |
| 21 | Ian Hoskins | 6-2 | 253 | DT | SR-3L | Campbellsville, Ky. (Campbellsville) |
| 22 | Kevin Perry | 5-10 | 175 | DB | RS SO-1L | Madison, Ala. (Bob Jones) |
| 23 | Bryant Milligan | 6-1 | 197 | WR | RS SO-1L | Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville) |
| 24 | Emmanuel Spann | 5-11 | 189 | WR | SR-3L | Atlanta, Ga. (Westlake) |
| 25 | Devin Arrington | 6-2 | 186 | DB | FR-HS | Chesapeake, Va. (Deep Creek) |
| 25 | Tyler Shick | 5-8 | 178 | RB | RS SO-SQ | Youngstown, Ohio (Boardman) |
| 26 | Aaron Johnson | 5-11 | 185 | DB | SR-1L | San Francisco, Calif. |
| 27 | Antawn Booker | 6-1 | 249 | TE | JR-1L | Auburndale, Fla. (Auburndale) |
| 28 | Chubb Small | 5-9 | 198 | RB | SR-3L | Auburndale, Fla. (Auburndale/Hargrave) |
| 29 | Phillip Gamble | 5-11 | 218 | LB | SR-3L | Bainbridge, Ga. (Bainbridge) |
| 30 | Mario Harvey | 6-0 | 244 | LB | JR-1L | Forsyth, Ga. (Hargrave Military) |
| 31 | Omar Brown | 5-10 | 178 | DB | FR-HS | Moncks Corner, S.C. (Berkeley) |
| 32 | Demetrius Thomas | 6-1 | 171 | WR | FR-HS | Theodore, Ala. (Theodore HS) |
| 33 | Andre Portis | 6-3 | 235 | LB | JR-JC | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 33 | Ryan Smith | 5-10 | 177 | WR | FR | Ashland, Va. (Patrick Henry) |
| 35 | Kellen Harris | 6-3 | 223 | LB | RS FR | Sharon, Pa. (Sharon) |
| 36 | Martin Ward | 5-9 | 188 | RB | FR-HS | Jonesboro, Ga. (Mount Zion HS) |
| 37 | Tyler Torlone | 6-0 | 190 | LB | SO-HS | Huntington, W.Va. (Cabell-Midland) |
| 39 | Sean McClellan | 5-11 | 233 | LS | RS JR-1L | Morristown, Tenn. (Hamblin West) |
| 40 | DeNathian Robinson | 5-10 | 166 | DB | SO-1L | Hampton, Va. (Phoebus) |
| 40 | Chris Maxwell | 5-10 | 160 | WR | SO | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (American Heritage) |
| 41 | Kase Whitehead | 5-10 | 181 | P | FR-HS | Maryville, Tenn. (William Blount HS) |
| 42 | Stuart Lips | 6-3 | 200 | DB | SO-SQ | Herrons Creek, NSW Austrailia (Paintsville) |
| 42 | Jordan Taylor | 6-1 | 205 | RB | FR-HS | South Bend, Ind. (St. Joseph's HS) |
| 43 | Cody Tominack | 5-11 | 254 | DL | SR-2L | West Alexander, PA (Wheeling Park) |
| 43 | Tyler Warner | 6-4 | 230 | K | FR | Parkersburg, W.Va. (Parkersburg) |
| 44 | Corey Hart | 6-2 | 222 | LB | SO-1L | Loachapoka, Ala. (Loachapoka) |
| 45 | Maurice Kitchens | 6-3 | 246 | LB | SR-3L | Roanoke, Va. (William Fleming) |
| 46 | John Jacobs | 6-3 | 241 | DE | JR-2L | Broadway, Va. (Broadway) |
| 47 | Tyson Gale | 6-3 | 222 | LB | FR-HS | Alva, Okla. (Alva) |
| 47 | Robert Henry | 5-11 | 226 | TE | SO-SQ | Bluefield, W.Va. (Graham) |
| 48 | George Carpenter | 5-10 | 207 | LB | FR-HS | Lancaster, Ohio (Lancaster) |
| 49 | Jo Jo Cox | 5-9 | 210 | RB | SO-HS | Jeffersonville, Ga. (Twiggs Co.) |
| 49 | Pete Culicerto | 6-1 | 189 | DB | RS SO-SQ | Charlotte, N.C. (Butler) |
| 50 | Joe Bragg | 6-4 | 289 | DL | SR-1L | Morgantown, W.Va. (Morgantown) |
| 51 | Cody Ochoa | 6-1 | 181 | K | SO-SQ | Bridgewater, Va. (Turner Ashby) |
| 53 | Scott Gray | 6-0 | 208 | LB | SO-SQ | Union, Ky. (Ryle) |
| 54 | Charles Gilkerson | 6-0 | 210 | LB | FR | Huntington, W.Va. (Spring Valley) |
| 56 | Howard King | 6-2 | 208 | LB | RS SO-SQ | Daytona Beach, Fla. (Seabreeze) |
| 58 | James Burkes | 6-1 | 303 | DL | JR-1L | Charleston, W.Va. (Capital) |
| 60 | Calvin Purchase | 6-2 | 187 | K/P | RS FR-SQ | Beaufort, S.C. (Beaufort) |
| 61 | Josh Evans | 6-4 | 305 | OL | SO-1L | Fayetteville, W.Va. (Fayetteville) |
| 62 | Matt Altobello | 6-1 | 291 | OL | SR-2L | Keyser, W.Va. (Keyser) |
| 63 | Chris Bowers | 6-2 | 280 | OL | FR-HS | Ona, W.Va. (Cabell Midland) |
| 64 | John Bruhin | 6-5 | 303 | OL | RS FR | Powell, Tenn. (Powell) |
| 65 | Brian Leggett | 6-1 | 283 | OL | SR-3L | Meridian, Miss. (Meridian) |
| 66 | Branden Curry | 6-6 | 306 | OL | RS FR-HS | Hollywood, Fla. (Boyd Anderson) |
| 67 | Erik Vint | 6-4 | 293 | DL | RS SO-SQ | Ridgeway, Va. (Magna Vista) |
| 68 | Landis Provancha | 6-5 | 305 | OL | JR-JC | Salem, Ore. |
| 71 | Chad Schofield | 6-4 | 316 | OL | RS SO-SQ | Strongsville, Ohio (Strongville) |
| 73 | Ryan Tillman | 6-5 | 282 | OL | RS FR | Centerville, Va. (Hargrave Military) |
| 74 | Joshua Wallace | 6-2 | 275 | DE | SO | Richmond, Va. |
| 75 | C.J. Wood | 6-5 | 288 | OL | RS FR | Gainsville, Ga. (Gainsville) |
| 76 | Jimmy Rogers | 6-4 | 302 | OL | JR-JC | Cleveland, Miss. |
| 77 | Demetrius Thompson | 6-2 | 221 | DE | SO-SQ | Charleston, W.Va. (Capital) |
| 78 | Brandon Campbell | 6-5 | 310 | OL | RS SO-1L | Fort Washington, Md. (Friendly Senior) |
| 79 | Daniel Baldridge | 6-9 | 310 | OL | JR-2L | Opelousas, La. (Opelousas) |
| 80 | Courtney Edmonson | 6-0 | 187 | WR | JR-2L | Titusville, Fla. (Astronaut) |
| 83 | Matt Parkhurst | 6-3 | 228 | TE | SR-3L | Philadelphia, Pa. (St. Joseph's Prep) |
| 84 | Chuck Walker | 5-10 | 177 | WR | JR-JC | Hayward, Calif. (Laney College (Oakland, Calif.)) |
| 85 | Cody Slate | 6-4 | 220 | TE | JR-2L | Chipley, Fla. (Hargrave Military) |
| 86 | Jamie Hatten | 6-5 | 205 | TE | FR-HS | Hendersonville, N.C. (Hendersonville) |
| 87 | Tavaris Thompson | 6-2 | 198 | WR | JR-SQ | Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. (Boyd Anderson) |
| 88 | Cory McCutchen | 6-4 | 178 | WR | FR-HS | Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stephenson) |
| 90 | Michael Janac | 6-4 | 278 | DE | RS SO-1L | Miami, Fla. (Pearl Cohn) |
| 91 | Johnny Jones | 6-5 | 288 | DL | SO-1L | Clewiston, Fla. (Clwiston) |
| 92 | Craig Ratanamorn | 6-3 | 187 | K | JR-JC | Wichita, Kan. (Heights) |
| 93 | Brandon Bullock | 6-3 | 355 | DT | SO-HS | Egg Harbor City, N.J. (Absegami) |
| 94 | John Youboty | 6-4 | 237 | DE | FR-HS | Klein, Texas (Klein High) |
| 95 | Montel Glasco | 6-3 | 295 | DL | SR-SQ | Westfield, N.J. |
| 96 | Albert McClellan | 6-2 | 252 | DE | JR-2L | Lakeland, Fla. (Kathleen) |
| 97 | Dakota Dishman | 6-4 | 260 | DL | FR | Huntington, W.Va. (Huntington) |
| 98 | Delvin Johnson | 6-3 | 296 | DL | SO-HS | Woodruff, S.C. |
| 99 | Vinny Curry | 6-5 | 249 | DL | SO-HS | Neptune, N.J. (Harmony Community) |
Coaches/Team Officials
- Mark Snyder - Head Coach
- Mike Cummings - Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator
- Mark Gale - Asst. AD for Football Operations
- Todd Goebbel - Pass Game Coordinator and Receivers
- Rick Minter - Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers
- Shannon Morrison - Safeties Coach
- John Shannon - Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks
- Jared Smith - Running Backs and Special Units Coordinator
- Jerry Azzinaro - Defensive Line Coach
- Paul Nichols - Corners Coach
- Phil Ratliff - Tackles & Tight Ends
- Phillip Armatas - Graduate Assistant
- Todd Perdue - Graduate Assistant
- Boomer Philbrick - Video Quality Control
- Mike Ward - Graduate Assistant
Notable Alumni in NFL
Marshall Thundering Herd in NFL
- Ahmad Bradshaw - New York Giants, RB
- Troy Brown - New England Patriots, WR
- Chris Crocker - Miami Dolphins, DB
- Derek Devine - Washington Redskins, QB
- Chris Hanson - New England Patriots, P
- Byron Leftwich - Atlanta Falcons, QB
- Doug Legursky - Pittsburgh Steelers, C
- Chris Massey - St. Louis Rams, LS
- Randy Moss - New England Patriots, WR
- Chad Pennington - New York Jets, QB
- Jason Rader - Atlanta Falcons, TE
- John Wade - Oakland Raiders, C
References
- ESPN NCAA Football Rankings
- Marshall Alumni Tracker
- Marshall Thundering Herd Athletics Wikipedia
- Marshall Thundering Herd Historical Data
- NCAA.org's 2006 Conference USA Team Report
External Links
| Conference USA Football Teams | |
|---|---|
| West Division | Houston • Rice • Southern Methodist • Texas-El Paso • Tulane • Tulsa |
| East Division | Central Florida • East Carolina • Marshall • Memphis • Southern Miss • UAB |
