This weekend represented the 50th anniversary of one of the most tragic events in sports history. On November 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 was transporting people associated with the Marshall University football team after a game against East Carolina University to the Tri-State Airport near Huntington, West Virginia. The aircraft crashed a few miles short of the Tri-State Airport. All 75 passengers on board lost their lives. There was a lot of mourning among those associated with the football program and the university. There was doubt if the program would continue.

Despite the challenges faced, Marshall University was able to field a team the following season and has continued to do so ever since. Success eluded the Marshall University football program for a while. It took until 1984 for the program to earn a winning season. Marshall played for the Division I-AA National Championship for the first time in 1987 and would win two Division I-AA National Championships in 1992 &1996. Despite not experiencing success for some time, the program pushed forward. The program did not waver. In our lives, how many times have we experienced tough times before we experienced success? In a world that can be quick to determine what is successful or unsuccessful, it can be discouraging without instant success. How do we remain faithful to what we do? In the book of James 1, James wrote about being steadfast in trials we may face. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Remaining steadfast during difficult circumstances is never easy. It can wear down on anyone if allowed. Sometimes the desired results are not immediate, but motivation can be a catalyst to those results. A lesson learned from a football program in Huntington, West Virginia.