UE Remembers Crash Anniversary

[UE-BBALL#1]

I know this has been brought up before on various occasions. Today the Evansville community is remembering the 30 years anniversary of the crash that took the lives of 29 young men and coaches. There were some good articles in the newspaper remembering those who were involved. Hopefully no school in the nation ever has to go through a tragedy like this, but as a college student it really acts as a reminder of just how precious life is.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/dec/09/program-has-risen-from-agonyof-crash

[pbutler]

Southern Illinoisan had an article about that today-such a tragedy.

[NDMA90]

Glad to see that crash anniversary will be remembered. For years UE has swept the incident under the rug and negelcted the "weeping basketball" memorial. I can remember one UE person saying "why don't they just let it go." It had to take a local high school to do a documentary.

Knowing the current administration, fellow UE grads look for UE to try to generate some $. Look for an announcement on a new memorial, or to fund something in a development letter.

[outpost]

For years UE has swept the incident under the rug and negelcted the "weeping basketball" memorial. I can remember one UE person saying "why don't they just let it go." It had to take a local high school to do a documentary.

That's sad....particularly this part of your post.

It's just not right to "let it go". We're beginning our 38th year of remembering the 10-2-70 crash that killed many members of our football team.

[E-Ville]

It's on the front page of Yahoo Sports

[AceFan]

Evansville Marks 30 Years Since Plane Crash That Killed 29, Including Entire Basketball Team

Dec 13, 8:35 PM (ET)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - The University of Evansville held a memorial service on Thursday to mark the 30th anniversary of an airplane crash that killed 29 people, including the entire men's basketball team.
The team plane, a twin-engine DC-3, crashed in rain and heavy fog on Dec. 13, 1977, shortly after takeoff from Evansville Dress Regional Airport to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for a game against Middle Tennessee State.

"There is never a good time to lose someone you love, but what made this event so hard was the loss of so many lives," university president Stephen Jennings said during Thursday's memorial at Neu Chapel.

The Rev. P.T. Wilson, the chaplain at DePauw University and an Evansville alumnus, recalled how as a religion and philosophy student at the time, he helped comfort students and members of the university community.

"We had such an outpouring of support from all over the country, so helpful, of people calling to say they were praying for us," Wilson said. "I discovered there are no answers but rather, in the spiritual journey, you simply walk on."


Among the crash victims was Purple Aces coach Bob Watson.

Current coach Marty Simmons, then a sixth-grader in nearby Lawrenceville, Ill., recalled how another crash victim, player Mike Duff of Eldorado, Ill., became his role model.

"If there is some small way that the spirit of that team from '77 can burn through our team, we would love to share it," Simmons said.

After the service, Jennings and former university president Wallace Graves laid a wreath decorated with purple and white flowers at a crash memorial monument on a campus plaza.

[ISUBob]

I remember my senior year in high school. My history teacher that played for EU was so shaken up, he asked us to leave the room. I remember that like it happened yesterday.:aces:

[Aargh]

You don't ever "let that go".

Maybe you wish you could. Maybe you wish you could wipe that from your memory - even if you only read about it.

My sympathies go out to the UE fans who lost friends in that tragedy. Also to those who only knew the victims of the tragedy by seeing them on the court or reading their names in the newspaper. If you can't say "been there, done that" you can't imagine the reality of the situation and the lasting feeling of monumental loss.

[goaces]

I was a freshman in college at the time of the plane crash. As a long time Aces fan I remember all the hope and excitment of the prorgram going d-1, and how Coach Bobby Watson had the whole city buzzing. This was a special group of young men. I don't forget the others, too, such as Evansivlle icon and broadcaster, Marv Bates.

That rainy night has never left my mind. The sadness has stayed with me.

[NDMA90]

I have always thought that if UE loses its lease at Roberts Stadium. What will happen to the "Night it Rained Tears" exhibit?

Mark my words...UE will try to capitalize off of the anniversary. UE alums over the past five years we have had the threat to go from DI to DIII issue, then asked for money; the threat of the sale of the radio station, then asking for money; Ace Purple going into hiding because he was embarrased that alums were not giving money, then asking for money to get him to return.

Get ready for the crash remembrance letter asking for money.

[TreeHugger]

http://www.tribstar.com/sports/local_story_348002436.html

Article about Terre Haute's Mike Joyner who was an UE player. Family members recount the tragedy. UE teams last game was against the Larry Bird led Sycamores.

May they rest in eternal peace.

:aces:

[Dawgbit]

My wife taught one of those kids in high school. It affected the entire region.

[Bama Ace]

I can still remember where I was like it was yesterday. I was in my classroom at our school christmas presentation waiting to go on stage. We had a small TV in the classroom and programming was interrupted stating that there had been a plane crash at Dress Regional Airport. As young kids we didn't think much about it.

I stayed to the end of the program and got a ride home from a neighbor. When I got home my mom called me in to tell me that it was the Aces basketball team. It hit me hard because I had gone to the first two home games that year with my uncle, the first two I had ever been to. I cried the whole night that night.

I went to UE from 1987-1990 and was good friends with Marty, Scott Haffner, Jeff Morning, Troy Jones, Mark Jewell, Larry Brand, etc. I hung out with all of those guys and many others on the team. I cannot even fathom what it would have been like had that happened while I was in school. I can't even begin to guess what it was like for students on campus at that time. Each year, around this time I always try and take a little time to remember back and reflect on what happened and say a little prayer for those families that lost. It does not always happen on the 13th, but every year it enters my mind like clockwork and I find some time. I did so a day early on the 12th this year. I still shudder to think of how I would have reacted and handled things if it happened during my time at UE.

:aces:

[Ace95]

I was looking through some news clips on this story and came across this really nice article from the Mufreesboro Daily News Journal.

It tells the story from the MTSU perspective.

30 years later: MTSU remembers Evansville plane crash
(http://dnj.midsouthnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071213/NEWS01/712130329/1002)

[shockball]

This is a good article. The comments from the pilots son are worth reading also. Thanks for posting.