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Home , 2002 NFL season, Coy Bacon, Darius Watts, Sonny Randle, Steve Sciullo

Marshall Football Greats HERB JACKIE ROYER HUNT BACK, 1935-37 RB, 1938-1941 came to Marshall in 1934 and We will never know just how really good returned again and again in the years following Huntington native John Seva “Jackie” Hunt his playing days and graduation in 1938. was as a for Marshall. What we Royer was a standout player for Marshall, do know, from yellowed newspaper clippings, playing on the fi rst team led by legendary fading memories and nearly nonexistent coach . He was a running statistics, is that he was the greatest back in back, student body president, team captain, Marshall’s fi rst half-century and one of the an honorable mention All-American, assistant coach, head football coach, assistant professor, fi nest backs to ever play . Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame member and Hunt was a two-time West All-State fan of the Thundering Herd in a relationship back at Huntington High School, and when that continued until his death in the winter he shunned many national off ers and signed of 2003. with fourth-year Marshall head coach, Cam Royer came to Marshall after leading Dunbar Henderson in 1938 it shocked many. High School to an undefeated season as a In 1939, Marshall went 9-2 and was judged senior in 1933. He was All-State in football as as the best team in the state for the second well as a in basketball and track. consecutive season. Wins for the “Big Green” Royer played on the junior varsity in 1934, included a resounding 20-0 shutout of Virginia and he began playing for Henderson in 1935. He was named captain of the Herd by Tech, and a win over Miami of Ohio (21-0). Hunt Henderson for the 1936 season. He rewarded played, but was overshadowed by Elkins, who his coach by leading the team to a 6-3-1 season, the fi rst winning season for Marshall since fi nished fi fth in the nation in scoring. Hunt did score seven touchdowns and earned third- 1932. Royer was a triple-threat for the Herd, running, passing and catching. In addition, he team all-conference honors. 1940 would be Hunt’s time. He scored six touchdowns in the was the junior class president in 1936-37. fi rst fi ve games, scoring once verses Morehead State in the opener (13-6), driving 49 yards Highlights for that year included Royer passing for a 50-yard score to Dick Hunter in a 41-6 in four runs to score on Virginia Tech (13-7, second consecutive victory over the Hokies), and win over Cumberland College. Royer again passed to Hunter for a 50-yard score against twice versus Dayton in a 25-12 win. A loss at Toledo (7-6) and at Wake Forest (31-19, Hunt Ohio Wesleyan. Royer was fi rst-team All-Buckeye Conference that season, as well as being one touchdown in each game) sent Marshall home to take on the Tommies of Scranton. named to the All-West Virginia State Collegiate team. However, greatness eventually came calling. Hunt would score four touchdowns on the Royer’s senior year was incredible. Marshall won its only Buckeye Conference championship and the Herd posted its fi rst undefeated season since 1919, going 9-0-1. Only a tie with Ohio Tommies and Marshall would win 50-6. Morris Harvey was next, the Herd’s biggest rival since University, 13-13 at Fairfi eld Stadium, prevented the perfect season. Marshall ran roughshod the turn of the century, and, in a 33-6 win, Hunt adds four more scores for 14 on the season. over the competition in most games, including a 90-0 drubbing of Georgetown College of Hunt then scored fi ve times, one short of the record of six touchdowns set by Wilbur Fisher Kentucky. In fact, the only team to score on Marshall besides Ohio was Ohio Wesleyan. in 1916, as Marshall trounced Detroit Tech, 67-0. Royer was a fi rst-team All-Buckeye selection for the second consecutive year, but more Hunt had 19 touchdowns entering the Xavier game and Marshall posted a 41-0 win with honors came his way. Royer, as a back, was named to the AP “Little” All-American Honorable Hunt scoring two touchdowns in the fi rst quarter and another in the third quarter to give Mention team. He was the Marshall Student Body President for 1937-38 and named to the him 22 touchdowns, tying the recognized national record. He would set the new record “Who’s Who in American University and Colleges,” for his success on the fi eld and in the with a fourth quarter score for 23 on the year. classroom. Hunt was named to the Grantland Rice Collier’s Magazine All-American team as one of In the summer of 1938, Bill Smith was invited to Philadelphia to play in a college All-Star game against the NFL’s Eagles. When one of the backs picked for the team did not show, the “Top Ten” backs in America. Rice, of “Four Horseman” fame, wrote of Hunt, “For all around Smith suggested Royer to the promoters. ability, I doubt that there is a better back in the nation than Jackie Hunt, who with a better The promoters decided his late arrival could be used to their advantage to promote the schedule might be a (Tom) Harmon or (Jack) Kimbrough. Hunt could do more things better game, which was getting little attention with the Eagles, Phillies and Athletics holding the than any other back, ball carrying, passing, kicking, blocking and tackling.” attention of the local sporting set. Royer was snuck into town and was given a mask to Hunt’s 162 points helped Marshall to the national scoring title with 33.4 points per game. wear at all times in public and at practices. “The Masked Marvel,” as Royer was billed, kept However, the Herd played what was considered “Small-college football” and the school was his identity secret until game time. not a member of the NCAA at the time. Royer remembered in an early 1970’s interview with Lowell Cade of The Herald-Dispatch, Hunt was fi rst team all-WV Athletic Conference and his All-American awards included: First “The promoters really played it up. The press in Philadelphia had me from nearly every -Team AP “Little” All-American; First team Collier’s Magazine Eye on “Little All-Americans”; school in the Big Ten and all around the nation. They got me on the radio for the pregame First team All-American on Collier’s Magazine National Team, picked by Grantland Rice; First interviews. We had a lot of fun with it.” Following the game, Royer was signed to a professional contract with the , -team All-American on the National team picked by The New York Sun newspaper; Second but was soon called back to Marshall by his old mentor, Henderson. team All-American on Paul Williamson’s National team; and Honorable Mention on the Royer coached at Marshall in 1938 and returned again in 1948. Between stints at Marshall, United Press International national team. and three years as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, he had great success as an assistant Hunt could never be expected to repeat the record-setting season of the previous year coach at Virginia Tech. He was also head coach at Logan High School. in 1941. However, he did respond with nine scores and 773 yards in only eight games as In his fi rst season as head coach at West Virginia Tech, Royer guided the Golden Bears to an teams keyed on him all season. 8-0-1 season and their fi rst West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. Royer was Hunt played in the Blue-Gray All-Star game after the season, and then graduated from named WVIAC Coach of the Year. He guided Tech for three more seasons, recording a 28-7-2 Marshall. That summer he was drafted by the , played in two College All-Star mark. Once again his alma mater called for Royer in 1953 and he became the head football games against teams (the Bears and the ) and coach at Marshall just as the Herd stepped up to play in the Mid-American Conference. The fi rst season produced a 2-5-2 result. Royer switched the Herd back to the single-wing then was inducted into the US Army to fi ght in World War II. off ense he learned under Henderson, who was still coaching basketball and advising his In 1946, he played one season for the Bears, but soon returned to the Huntington area. former player. Marshall did upset the MAC champions, Ohio, 9-6 in the fi nal game of 1953 He lived with his wife in Proctorville, Ohio (just over the Ohio River from Huntington) and on a Bob “Gunnar” Miller fi eld goal. The next year was better as Marshall went 4-5. was a lifelong Marshall supporter. Marshall went 3-6 in 1955 and again in 1956, but in 1957 Marshall went 6-3, fi nishing He is a member of both the West Virginia Sportswriters Hall of Fame and the Marshall second in MAC. It was the fi rst winning season for Marshall since 1951 and only the third Athletic Hall of Fame, the fi rst person choosen for that honor in the inaugural class of 1984 in 10 seasons. The Herd had two fi rst-team All-MAC picks in Bob Wagner and and entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. running back Cagle Curtis. In 1958, Marshall slipped back to 3-6. Although he was, at the time, third all-time at Marshall with 21 wins, Royer resigned after seeing no improvement on the horizon in facilities or funding.

160 FRANK GATSKI OL, 1941-1942 He came straight out of the West Virginia Gatski also had a knack for fi nding cham- Gatski retired following the 1957 title after coal mines. He knew that if, for any reason, pionship gold. During his 11 seasons in Cleve- starting 132 consecutive games. In his career, he couldn’t play football, he would have to land, the Browns posted a 110-23-5 record, he earned eight championships (four in the return to those coal mines. Maybe that was all won the AAFC title in each of the leagues four AAFC and four in the NFL) and played for the the motivation Frank “Gunner” Gatski needed years of operation, and then won three Na- championship in 11 of his 12 professional to excel on the gridiron. That thought of the tional Football League titles (1950, 54 and 55). seasons. He won more titles than any position mines was also probably what kept Gatski His Browns teams, which joined the NFL along player – other than kicker – in pro football his- playing. In 20 seasons as a high school player with the and Baltimore tory. at Farmington (W.Va.) High School, to a col- Colts after the demise of the AAFC, played for In addition to being a member of the Pro lege career at Marshall and, after World War the NFL title every year from 1950-56. They Football Hall of Fame, Gatski is a member of II, Auburn, to 12 seasons with the lost the title game to the Rams in 1951 and to the West Virginia Sports Writers Hall of Fame, Browns and Detroit Lions, Gatski nevered the Detroit Lions in 1952-53. and is a charter member of the Marshall Uni- missed a game. In fact, in 20 years of football, His quarterback with the Browns, legend- versity Athletics Hall of Fame. Hall of Famer Gunner Gatski never missed so ary Hall of Famer Otto Graham said - “You On Oct. 15, 2005, Gatski’s No. 72 jersey was much as a single practice. never have to worry about anyone jumping retired and his number is affi xed to the front Gatski arrived at Marshall in 1940 and over Frank or bumping him out of the way.” of the Joan C. Edwards Stadium press box. The instantly earned the job as the Thunder- After failing to reach the title game in fi rst MU player ever to receive this honor. ing Herd’s starting JV team center. Over two 1956, the only time in his career that Gatski’s Tragically, Gatski passed away November seasons on the varsity squad, he started 17 team failed to reach that point, he went off 22, 2005, at the age of 83. straight games at center, while playing some to play for the Lions in 1957. As expected, the . It was during that time period that Lions faced the Browns in the NFL title game, he picked up the nickname “Gunner,” because with Detroit crushing his former team 59-14 to of his hard-hitting style of play. capture the title. Gatski snapped to another During his seasons at Marshall, the Herd future Hall of Famer that year, the Lions’ Bobby enjoyed great success. The 1940 team went Layne. 8-2 behind consensus All-American Jackie Hunt, who scored 27 touchdowns that year. Marshall outscored its opponents 334-76 in 1940. The next year Marshall posted a 7-1 re- cord, including a victory over Wake Forest. The 1942 season saw Marshall suff er on the fi eld as a result of the outbreak of World War II. Many Herd players had already been called into duty before the season started, resulting in a 1-7-1 record. With America’s entry into World War II in late 1941, Gatski became a part of the U.S. Frank “Gunner” Gatski is a member Army’s infantry division in late 1942. When he of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and returned from the front in 1945 he enrolled at the only player in Marshall football Auburn University, where he played part of the history to have his number (75) 1945 season. retired by the University. In the spring of 1946 Gatski hitch-hikes to Cleveland for a tryout with the Browns that was set up by Marshall’s Dr. Sam Clagg. Clagg contacted Browns assistant coach, and former Huntington High coach, Johnny Brickles, who knew of Gatski from his playing days at Marshall. He signed for $2,500, plus a $500 signing bonus.

161 Marshall Football Greats CARL MIKE TROY LEE BARBER BROWN DB, 1979-1982 1985-88 WR/DB, 1991-1992 Andy Socha, a fullback for Marshall One of the greatest Troy Brown was a sensational in 1966, was the last player drafted all-around player at Marshall from Marshall at the time. Marshall players ever to wear who was considered the most had played 18 seasons of football a dangerous scoring threat in all without a winning season. While uniform, Mike Barber is I-AA football during his two a number of players had a “cup of seasons (1991-92) with the Herd. coff ee” in professional football, no only the second player He averaged a touchdown every one had been drafted. in school history to Carl Lee was about to change all of eight times he touched the ball that. The former South Charleston be inducted into the (31 tds-250 att.) for the Green High star had been one of Coach College Football Hall of & White. He also tied the NCAA Sonny Randle’s top recruits when record for the most touchdowns he took over at Marshall in 1979. Lee Fame. Barber received on kick returns in a single season was off ered a chance to play at West that honor in 2005 just a with four and became the NCAA’s Virginia, but chose MU due to Randle’s charisma and the chance to year after the legendary all-time leader in kickoff return start a turnaround as a starting defensive safety as a freshman. Jackie Hunt was enshrined. average with a regular season net of 29.69 yards per return Randle inherited a team that was built for “Mid-West” football. (32 for 950 yards) in 1992 while helping Marshall to its fi rst Randle’s emphasis was on speed and quickness, and Lee certainly A two-time First Team All-America selection, National Championship. fi t the bill, plus tough football players who could take some of the Brown ranks eighth all-time for all-purpose yardage, toughest practices ever seen. Some of the players on scholarship Barber was named were not great players, and many lost their will to care after a 1-10 National Player of the averaging 148.3 yards per game. The speedy standout was record in 1978. Lee reported with the freshman class in August and Year in 1988 by the an Associated Press fi rst-team All-American selection and soon into his freshman season he worked his way into the starting fi rst-team all-conference selection as a that lineup for a team that went 1-10 in 1979. The off ense was shutout also earned second-team all-conference honors as a kick fi ve times and scored seven or fewer points seven times, while the Coaches Association. returner. defense gave up 28 points per game that season. The Thundering Herd’s Brown fi nished his senior season with 101 receptions for Lee became the fi rst Marshall player to be named All-Southern 1,654 yards and 16 touchdowns, added 158 yards and two Conference in four years of league play when he was named as a first three-time First rushing touchdowns, returning 20 punts for a 10-yard average honorable mention selection as a sophomore. During the season Team All-Conference pick, he led the nation and 27 kickoff s for a 23.3-yard average. he turned in one of the most exciting plays in school history when Following his graduation he went on to become the fi rst he returned a blocked fi eld goal 88 yards for a touchdown on the in receiving while setting single-season Marshall product to ever play for the fi nal play of the half against Morehead State. conference records with 106 receptions and Lee was named All- in 1981, but the real organization, where he went on to play on three Super accomplishment for Lee was a name for the secondary that has 1,757 yards in 1987. That season he helped Bowl Champion teams. Brown ranks second on the Patriots stood the test of time. Lee, Ken Lindsay, Tony Henderson and Marshall to its first-ever berth in the NCAA all-time receptions list with 514 career receptions and also Cliff ord Wright became “The Gang Of Four. “ Division 1-AA National Championship game. places second on the franchise’s receiving yardage list with Marshall improved to 3-8 in 1982, and Lee returned to form by 5,982 yards. leading Marshall in tackle points with 239, an incredible 83 points Barber, a Winfield, W.Va. native, is the In 2004, Brown earned accolades for his play on defense, ahead of second-place fi nisher. Southern Conference’s all-time career leader showing a level of versatility unmatched in recent NFL history. His 871 career tackle points (a system fi rst used by Ellwood from in receptions (249) and receiving yards (4,262). After injuries had taken a toll on the Patriots’ secondary, he 1975-1978 and Randle from 1979-1983), an incredible 319 points pitched in as the team’s nickel back for the fi nal nine games in front of second-place fi nisher. His 88-yard fi eld goal return for Barber was voted Marshall’s Athlete of the of the regular season and all three of the Patriots’ postseason touchdown remains the only one at Marshall over the last 22 Decade for the 1980s. Prior to graduation, contests. seasons. During his college career, Lee also found time to sprint for the track team in the spring. Barber was selected in the fourth round of the Brown fi nished second on the team with three interceptions Named to the All-Southern Conference team for the third year 1989 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. in the 2004 regular season and matched his reception total in a row, Lee began to think about professional football. Randle, with 17 tackles on defense. a former all-pro who had more touchdown receptions than any Brown became the only player in New England history to player from 1960-69, was able to counsel his four-year starter record a reception and an interception in the same game by making contacts and helping Lee to work out for the right when he pulled the feat against Buff alo (11/14/04). people. Brown’s 321 receptions from 2000-03 are the highest four- Late in his rookie season, Lee was not only playing, but starting. year total in Patriots’ history. Ben Coates ranks He started three games for Minnesota as a rookie. He was named second with a four-year total of 308 (1994-97). to his fi rst team in 1988, when he led the Vikings with Brown is the Patriots’ all-time leading punt returner, topping a career-high eight interceptions. Between 1986 and 1993, Lee the team’s all-time lists in returns (237) and yardage (2,524), started in 130 consecutive games for Minnesota and in his career played in 177 games, including eight playoff games, and had 152 and tying for the franchise record with three punt returns starts for Minnesota. He added to that total with 12 games and for touchdowns. eight starts in New Orleans, making the grand total 189 games His 97 catches in 2002 were the second highest total in and 160 starts in 12 seasons. That total is tied with Gatski for the franchise history, four behind his record 101 catches in 2001. most for a former Herd player in pro football. Brown became the fi rst Patriot in club history to record three Lee took over as the head football coach of West Virginia State 80-catch seasons (97, 2002; 101, 2001; 83, 2000). in 1996, his fi rst coaching job after doing some radio for the Saints Brown is the Patriots’ all-time leading return specialist with in 1995. Despite his busy coaching schedule, he still fi nds time to 4,386 combined return yards. He surpassed David Meggett’s raise funds for the program with events like the annual “Pepsi Carl previous record of 3,999 yards in 2002. Lee Golf Challenge.” He also does motivational speaking, with all He earned his fi rst trip to the Pro Bowl following the 2001 fees going to the football team. season and became just the third Patriots’ wide receiver to He has also held a football camp called the “Carl Lee Football Challenge” in Parkersburg, W.Va, for the past couple of years, with be selected to the Pro Bowl since 1970 (, 4 guests like former all-pros and Coy Bacon. and , 1). Lee joined the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995 and was Brown is New England’s all-time leading receiver in the honored by the Marshall Black Legends in 2000. postseason with 47 catches and 553 yards during his 15 In a 2001 issue of Sports Illustrated, the magazine selected not postseason games. only the top athletes nationally of all-time, but complied a list for each state. In the West Virginia edition, Lee was selected as the number 35 greatest athlete among the top 50 Sporting Figures in the state’s history. Lee was also named to the All-Time, 40th Anniversary Team as a starting . He fi nished his stellar career with 29 interceptions, more than 600 career tackles and was an All-Pro in 1988, 1989 and 1990. He currently lives with his family near Winfi eld, W.Va. 162 Marshall Football Greats RANDY CHAD BYRON MOSS PENNINGTON LEFTWICH WR, 1996-1997 QB, 1995-1999 QB, 1998-2002 After only two record-setting To try and sum up the Marshall There are dozens of memories seasons at Marshall, football career of current New York that Herd Nation and the rest of moved on to the National Football Jets quarterback the college football world have League where he has set the league is impossible. of . But, there are on fi re and become on of the NFL’s The thing that made Chad two recollections that perhaps exemplify his legacy more Pennington so much a part of the most popular players. poignantly than any others. He capped his collegiate career fabric of Marshall football wasn’t December 19, 2001 with a trip to the Downtown his exploits on the fi eld – it was Marshall fi nds itself in dire straights Athletic Club as Marshall’s fi rst everything else. against East Carolina in the 2001 Heisman Trophy fi nalist, and then It was the charitable events GMAC Bowl. ECU erupts for leads followed up the next season by he attended, the speaking of 24-0 and eventually 38-8 at earning NFL Rookie of the Year engagements, the autographs he halftime. The 30-point Marshall honors. signed and so many more things he did away from the fi eld. defi cit leads to an early celebration Honors for Moss piled up at Marshall almost as fast as the But Chad was also more than just a football player. A Rhodes by Pirate fans. One thing they didn’t records he set. He won the Biletnikoff and Paul Warfi eld Scholar candidate, and two-time fi rst team Academic All- count on, though, was the fortitude of a dejected, yet not beaten, team of Thundering Herd players who still had another half – at Awards as the nation’s top receiver, was named a fi rst team American, winner of the Vincent dePaul Draddy Award as least – of football left to play. Leftwich would serve as the catalyst All-American by the Associated Press, the Football Writers the top scholar-athlete in college football. of the highest scoring and greatest bowl comeback in college Association of America, the Walter Camp Football Foundation, There were many things that were a part of the greatness football history. the Detroit Free-Press, ESPN, and Sport Magazine. of Chad Pennington at Marshall. Marshall’s Ralph Street returned an interception 25 yards for a During his Marshall career, Moss caught 168 passes for But the bottom line was winning. Pennington left score just 23 seconds after play resumed. It was all Leftwich from 3,356 yards and 53 touchdowns. He set a national record everything he had on the football fi eld every time he stepped there on out. He threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including with 28 touchdowns in 1996 and a Division 1-A record 25 into battle. No Herd fan will ever forget him limping back onto the game-tying touchdown to Darius Watts with seven seconds touchdowns in 1997. He helped the Thundering Herd to a the fi eld, dragging a battered leg, to lead the Herd to victory remaining to knot the score at 51-51. A failed point after attempt perfect 15-0 record and a national championship in 1996 and in the 1998 MAC Championship game against Toledo. sent the wild aff air into a fi rst overtime, then a second. After ECU took a 10-3 record with a Mid-American Conference title and an But even that display was topped in the 1999 Mid-American a three-point lead with a fi eld goal in the second extra session, No. appearance in the Motor City Bowl in 1997. Conference title game. With the Herd trailing 23-0 early in the 7 found freshman Josh Davis in the end zone for a dramatic, 64-61 victory in what was coined the “Miracle in Mobile.” Leftwich fi nished Moss earned back-to-back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances third quarter, Pennington hoisted his teammates onto his back the historic night with a bowl record 567 yards on 41-of-70 passing in his fi rst three seasons, and was named the 2000 Pro Bowl and carried them to what may have been the most dramatic with fi ve touchdowns, one of which came on the ground. MVP after setting records for catches (9) and receiving yards victory in all of college football for the 1999 season. Following that performance, any sports fan who had not yet heard (212) in the game along with scoring the fi nal touchdown With the Herd trailing 30-27, Pennington led one fi nal march the name Byron Leftwich was now listening loud and clear. of the day in a 51-31 win by the NFC. He was named to his toward victory. His teammates could feel the confi dence, and November 2, 2002: A late-season road game saw the Thundering fourth Pro Bowl in 2002 and his fi fth in 2003. knew something magical was going to happen. Herd in Akron’s Rubber Bowl, and the nearly 14,000 fans in Moss set a new Vikings’ single-season record for receiving Pennington shocked everyone by pulling the ball down and attendance would witness not only a Zips’ upset of then No. 25th- yards in 1999 with 1,413, breaking the mark of 1,371 set by running for a 33-yard gain, then the longest in the history of ranked Marshall, but they would see a testament to what made in 1995. He smashed the mark again in 2000 with the MAC title game. As time ran down, he put the team in Byron Leftwich a major player beyond the stat sheets. 1,437 yards receiving and in 2003 posted 1,632 yards. He position for its fi nal destiny. Leftwich suff ered a severe injury to his left shin early in the game. also set a new team record for 100-yard receiving games in With seven seconds left on the game clock, and no timeouts Against his wishes, he made a trip to the hospital for x-rays after trying to play in the very next series. Only after he got the guarantee left to fall back on, Pennington walked up behind center Jason a season with seven in 1999, a number he bettered by one in that he would make it back to the Rubber Bowl by halftime did the 2000. Moss combined with Cris Carter for a team-record 2,654 Starkey for a third and goal play at the Western Michigan one quarterback fi nally leave the stadium. But, no matter what, it was receiving yards on the 1999 season, the 4th-highest total by yard line. Photos of the play showed Pennington in complete clear that nobody would keep him from going back to the fi eld a tandem in NFL history, but they bettered that mark in 2000 control of the situation, and why not; it was a moment he that day to rejoin his teammates. with a combined 2,711 yards. He led the NFC in receiving had prepared for his entire football life. Leftwich returned to start the second half for Marshall with the yards in 1999 with 1,413, the fi rst Vikings receiver to lead Pennington took the snap, rolled to his right and fi red a Herd trailing 24-10. On largely one leg with virtually no mobility the NFC since Ahmad Rashad in 1979, and he has scored 77 strike into the arms of classmate Eric Pinkerton. His legacy at in the pocket, Leftwich threw 259 of his 307 yards after the injury touchdowns (76 catches, 1 punt return) in 96 career games, Marshall was made over four seasons of touchdown passes occurred. He willed Marshall back into contention, but seven Herd not to mention throwing a couple of touchdown passes. and victories. His legacy in college football was born in a turnovers were just too much to overcome. Akron recorded a 34-20 He is the only player in NFL history to have surpassed single instant, as Pennington went from local hero, to national win. Playing catch up to Akron with time becoming a factor, Leftwich 1,000 receiving yards in each of his fi rst six seasons. He set a star. was unable to run downfi eld to the line of scrimmage after career-high with 106 receptions in 2002 , and added a new After guiding Marshall to a fi nal victory in the Motor City completing long strikes to his receivers. It became clear that the high of 111 in 2003 to continue his historic run. Bowl, Pennington secured his place among the best players team he had been carrying on his shoulders for many years would He set an NFL record for most catches in a player’s fi rst 6 in the game by earning Most Valuable Player honors at the need to carry him this time. Off ensive linemen Steve Sciullo and seasons with 525, passing ’s 522 from 1996- Senior Bowl in Mobile. The question became not if he would Steve Perretta lifted Leftwich and ran him to the line in order to 2001. Moss also set an NFL record for most receiving yards be a fi rst round NFL draft pick, but where he would go. get the next play underway. in a player’s fi rst 6 seasons, his 8,375 yards topped ’s Finally, when the were on the clock for their Leftwich left Marshall as the school’s No. 2 all-time passer, behind 7,866. third selection in the fi rst round, Pennington got the call. Chad Pennington. He set Mid-American Conference records in The former Marshall standout was named Associated In the days following the draft, many experts said that New career passing yards (11,903), completions (939), completion Press All-Pro in 1998, 2000 and 2003 and earned Pro Bowl York got the steal of the draft. When the 2002 NFL season percentage (65.1) and total off ense (12,084). He stands in second appearances in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003. started those same experts had begun to question the place in conference annals with 89 touchdown passes, second behind Pennington’s 100 TD tosses. Moss has been named NFC Off ensive Player of the Week selection of Pennington. Those “experts” quickly found their In 2002, he led the nation in total off ense with a 355.58 average 4 times in his career and he led the NFL in receiving TDs in way back on the bandwagon by the end of the season. per game and was second in pass effi ciency (156.52). His eff orts 1998, 2000, and 2003. The Rand, W.Va., native also led the With the Jets off to a horrible start, coach Herman Edwards in the 2001 GMAC Bowl earned him the game’s MVP award. NFC in receiving yards in 1999 (1,413) and 2002 (1,347) and turned to Pennington, and he responded as all Marshall fans The leg injury cost him a shot at the Heisman Trophy, but he still in receptions in 2002 (106) and ranked 2nd in 2003 (111). knew he would. Over the weeks that followed Pennington fi nished in sixth place in the vote his senior year. He was a two-time Moss is without a doubt one of the most dynamic players in became the darling on the NFL, leading a Jets team that MAC Off ensive Player of the Year and the conference MVP in 2001. professional football today. appeared to be going no where into the second round of A two-time fi rst team all-MAC and six-time MAC Off ensive Player He was drafted in the fi rst round by the Vikings (21st overall) the Playoff s. The Jets were 8-4 with Pennington as their of the Week, Byron Leftwich is the most decorated athlete to have in the 1998 NFL Draft. Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders starting quarterback, he set a franchise record for completion ever played football in the Mid-American Conference. But, his prior to the 2005 season. and traded to the New England percentage in a season and he was the highest rated passer accomplishments and the notoriety he helped build for Marshall Patriots prior to the 2007 season. in the entire NFL. University are too substantial to weigh. Leftwich’s fi nal game at Marshall Stadium proved to be his most Pennington was named the AFC Off ensive Player of the During the 2006 reunion of the 1996 National Champion exciting as he rallied the Herd to a marvelous 49-45 win over Toledo Thundering Herd team, Moss announced that he would Week three times during that year. At the end of the season to secure MU’s fi fth MAC title in six years. endow a scholarship in the squads honor, and along with he was selected team MVP by his teammates and the Jets Leftwich became the highest drafted player in Mid-American Chad Pennington and other Herd alumni start a trust for the staff awarded him the Kyle Clifton Good Guy Award and is Conference history when the selected him Marshall football program. now one of the more popular in the game. with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

163