Among the victims were 36 Marshall football players. In the first season after the crash, Marshall won just two games. The plane crash redefined comebacks and helped shape the identity of the public university that serves 13,000 students in Huntington. Everyone on board perished: 36 football players, 39 coaches, school administrators, community leaders, boosters and the flight crew. Those not on the Marshall plane have spent the last five decades dealing with heartache, self-doubt and unanswerable questions about why they were spared.

Head Coach Doc Holliday of the Marshal Thundering Herd looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the Boise State Broncos on September 6, 2019 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 14-7.

Head Coach Doc Holliday of the Marshal Thundering Herd looks on from the sidelines during the first half against the Boise State Broncos on September 6, 2019 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 14-7.

Head coach Doc Holliday of the Marshall Thundering Herd reacts in the third quarter of a game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Floyd Stadium on October 20, 2017 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Head coach Doc Holliday of the Marshall Thundering Herd reacts in the third quarter of a game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Floyd Stadium on October 20, 2017 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)