Movie road trip: A cinematic site per state for all 50 states

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West Virginia: We are Marshall

Based on a true story, the movie We are Marshall chronicles the tragic and triumphant story of the Marshall University football team. Marshall University is located in Huntington, West Virginia. Parts of the movie were filmed in West Virginia.

In 1970, the Marshall University Football team was hit with extreme tragedy. A horrible plane crash killed many of the players, coaches, and fans of the football team. The event cast a sadness over the whole town. While the university wanted to cancel the program, one player, who wasn’t on the plane, asked for the program to rebuild. While the road wasn’t easy, the team, university and town find their way to a triumphant end.

Parts of We are Marshall were filmed in Huntington, West Virginia. The film production team altered parts of the downtown area to appear as it was in the 1970s. Overall, the downtown Huntington area had some classic charm. The alterations weren’t too hard to accomplish.

Marshall University played a large role in the film. The historic university is named after former Supreme Court Justice John Marshall. While the university has a long, storied past, the football team tragedy plays a role in the university culture. Every year a service is held at the Memorial Fountain on the Memorial Student Center plaza on the anniversary of the crash. The fountain is turned off on that day and remains off until the spring.

While the current football stadium was not used in the movie, a Marshall University football game is quite a production. The players participate in the Thunder Walk, where they walk through all the tailgaters prior to the game. Also, the school chant “We are Marshall” is always part of a game. Each stadium side takes turns saying the chant. The chant represents the community and school’s resilient nature during challenging times.