I get a lump in my throat every time I hear this. How sad that less than a year after he wrote this letter to the 1970 Thundering Herd, Nate Ruffin would finally join his former teammates "up there" with "the Man in Charge." RIP Nate Ruffin and All Marshall players of the 1970 Thundering Herd. WE ARE MARSHALL!!!
I still cry every time I see this. Nate was such a great guy. I was lucky to get to know him when I worked at the Herald-Dispatch. When he would come into the news room, he would hug me and my ear touched his belt buckle. The guy who played him in the movie was not that tall! I was just back in Huntington, and I always visit the memorial and clean off Nate's grave marker.
My dad went to East Carolina and my parents were at the game before the plane crash. They went out to eat after the game and then heard on the radio what had happened. They said they were in shock.
Nate was my classmate, frat brother, fellow railroader, Christian brother and my replacement at ACF Industries (1975). But most of all he was my hero and someone like him cannot be replaced! We last spoke by phone in 2001 only months before he passed. The We Are Marshall film was on point showing his stepping up to team leadership which extended over the last 26 years of his life as an iconic figure and cheerleader for the team and school.
My brother was on that 2000 team. #52 James Simons, of Lemoore, CA. What Fresno State said no to, Marshall accepted & made a CHAMPION! In loving memory of our "12th man" & WE ARE MARSHALL!
I am a Southern Miss Alum but I do remember the crash and Ruffin was such a great spokesman for the ill-fated team, the Young Herd, and of course the University. I am proud to be a member of a conference with Marshall thanks to those like Ruffin.
my dad met Nate at an airport in Atlanta a few years ago. Dad was wearing a Marshall jacket i had gotten him for christmas. nate came up to him and started talking to him. dad had no idea who he was. Nate told him his story about the crash...
What a beautiful letter to your teammates and coaches. Nate Ruffin, you were left behind to help heal Marshall University, the football team, the community and to be a voice for the fallen. And the movie, was a wonderful tribute to all.
Oh my...just makes you want to cry. He did such a wonderful job keeping their memories alive...and now Marshall is keeping his memory alive. What a lovely thing to watch.
Nate was such a good guy. He would come into the Herald-Dispatch sometimes when I was a photographer there, and always gave me a big hug. My ear came to his belt buckle. The actor who played him in the movie was not that tall. LOL! I always clean his tombstone off when I come back to Huntington.
I would have been in grade school when this happened. Graduating High School in '77, at 49 now I applaude the school, admin, and town for carrying on and supporting those lost and looking to the future. What a legacy you all have shown for those who don't know the history. Thanks
I have watched this movie MANY times and cry throughout the whole movie. Tonight I watched it as I lay in bed unable to sleep due to liver cancer and 2 broken vertebrates with Osteoporosis in my spine. I am facing a painful liver biopsy and spinal surgery with a biopsy. Then treatment for my 7th but of cancer. I ran out of 3 px's and had to wait to get the money for it thus causing a severe migraine with nausea since Monday night. This movie really helps put my faith in place as God is in CONTROL of our lives! He only took home those He WANTED and made sure the others were injured, over slept or traded seats on the plane. This gives me the strength to go through the pain AGAIN with this bout. I just pray I can SERVE our Lord and make this life on Earth worthwhile!! Nate Ruffin did just that and made our Lord proud as well as the humans here in Earth!! I wish I could have met him and maybe one day with my love of the game God will let me finally PLAY pro ball in Heaven as I would be an awesome QB!! I'm an FAU alumni, but "My heart is Marshall"!!! God bless to all of the brothers that passed and to the others still alive and their families!!
I know this was posted years ago, but my thoughts and prayers are with Nate Ruffins family, and the other 75 families, I hope they're doing okay and are all happy and healthy. Nates homecoming must have been spectacular tho, 75 friends welcoming him with hugs and pats on the back, I'll bet he's kicking butt on the field up there with his boys again.
as I watched the movie I recalled hearing about this terrible tragedy when I was only 11 yrs old at the time, what does an 11 yr old know about tragedy? well yrs later I am now old enough to appreciate the gravity of those events and as I watched how Nate Ruffin was so instrumental in the resurgence of the Marshall football program. I cannot help but feel sense of pride and admiration for nate and only hope, since he is buried with his old friends, that he is finally at peace with himself and all he has had to endure from the time of the crash til his final resting place. sleep well Nate, you will always be a "Son of Marshall"
Just found this beautiful video today. in 2020. and crying as I watch it. Thank you for posting. Thoughts and prayers with Nate Ruffins family and the other 75 families as we near the 50th anniversary of the plane crash.
Something rather ironic about Nate Ruffin. On Oct. 2, 1970, Wichita State's football team suffered the same tragedy Marshall did, but not quite as bad. Exactly 31 years later on Oct. 2, Ruffin passed away.
From the UK I am not fan of USA footie or even into sports, but I just saw the movie and found it very moving. It made me want to write to Nate, I thought he was still alive until the ending, which made me cry. Proud of all u guys. L
I'm close to tears....God Bless you Nate, and all of your teammates who were so tragically taken from you much sooner than anyone imagined. I take comfort knowing you all are together again.
Thank you. No words to describe the depth of feeling this event evokes. Truly spiritual. God Bless Nate's family and the entire Marshall University team/family, past, present and future.
Thank you for posting video. After seeing the movie, it was nice to hear and see the real Nate. His letter to his team mates Made me tear up. RIP Nate the 75 members of the Herd.
Thank you so much for sharing this video .. great for all of us who love the Herd .. and this will be great for those who will come to know us through the "We Are Marshall" movie!
Thank you so much for posting this! Mr. Ruffin endured so much during his life. Through it all he perserved. One day soon i hope marshall plays for and wins the national title. Who would not root for marshall if they did play in the championship! God bless you mr ruffin. Your life is an inspiration to all of us
He truly was special. Watching the video brings many memories to mind. I just got an email from his daughter yesterday. I sent her an email from a fan (See Azanti below) of the movie who saw this clip too and was touched because of losses he had experienced. This clip has immortalized Nate as the voice of the silent team he has now joined in eternity.
My father and I were new to the story of We Are Marshall when we saw the film in theaters. Hence we never heard of the plane crash until the film's theatrical run. I was living in the parental home at the time of the film's theatrical run. By the time the film was released to DVD and hi-def formations, I got a job and left the parental home. I was not born at the time of plane crash. My oldest brother was then a newborn at the time.
Wasn't familiar with the story of Nate Ruffin until the movie came out. Heartbreaking what he and his surviving teammates must have felt and went through. He's right. He was meant to be alive to keep the memory of his Marshall team alive. RIP to Nate and all the victims of that terrible crash.
Justin Pierce He died in 2001, and what's rather odd is it was on 10-2-01. One month before the Marshall plane crash, Wichita State met the same fate to a lesser degree. Oct. 2, 1970 was that date. Maybe a bit coincidental Ruffin passed 31 years to the date of the WSU crash's anniversary.
I definitely got plans to travel there sometime in the future to visit his and his teammates grave site. I bet they're having a blast taking the field up in the heavens together again.
I get a lump in my throat every time I hear this. How sad that less than a year after he wrote this letter to the 1970 Thundering Herd, Nate Ruffin would finally join his former teammates "up there" with "the Man in Charge."
RIP Nate Ruffin and All Marshall players of the 1970 Thundering Herd.
WE ARE MARSHALL!!!
I still cry every time I see this. Nate was such a great guy. I was lucky to get to know him when I worked at the Herald-Dispatch. When he would come into the news room, he would hug me and my ear touched his belt buckle. The guy who played him in the movie was not that tall! I was just back in Huntington, and I always visit the memorial and clean off Nate's grave marker.
My dad went to East Carolina and my parents were at the game before the plane crash. They went out to eat after the game and then heard on the radio what had happened. They said they were in shock.
I'm from Greenville I was 9 in 1970 and I remember this team they stayed at the old Holiday Inn in Greenville on Memorial Dr. RIP Nate
Nate was my classmate, frat brother, fellow railroader, Christian brother and my replacement at ACF Industries (1975). But most of all he was my hero and someone like him cannot be replaced! We last spoke by phone in 2001 only months before he passed. The We Are Marshall film was on point showing his stepping up to team leadership which extended over the last 26 years of his life as an iconic figure and cheerleader for the team and school.
My brother was on that 2000 team. #52 James Simons, of Lemoore, CA. What Fresno State said no to, Marshall accepted & made a CHAMPION! In loving memory of our "12th man" & WE ARE MARSHALL!
My daughter was a cheerleader at Fresno State ..Good for your brother to go to Marshall and get a championship
God bless you Nate Ruffin!! I bet you're cheering the Herd on still today and have the best seat no matter where they play!! RIP Nate.
I am a Southern Miss Alum but I do remember the crash and Ruffin was such a great spokesman for the ill-fated team, the Young Herd, and of course the University. I am proud to be a member of a conference with Marshall thanks to those like Ruffin.
RIP, Nate Ruffin...I visit your grave and those of your six unidentified teammates each time I go home. You were and are so loved in Huntington...
my dad met Nate at an airport in Atlanta a few years ago. Dad was wearing a Marshall jacket i had gotten him for christmas. nate came up to him and started talking to him. dad had no idea who he was. Nate told him his story about the crash...
What a beautiful letter to your teammates and coaches. Nate Ruffin, you were left behind to help heal Marshall University, the football team, the community and to be a voice for the fallen. And the movie, was a wonderful tribute to all.
Oh my...just makes you want to cry. He did such a wonderful job keeping their memories alive...and now Marshall is keeping his memory alive. What a lovely thing to watch.
Nate was such a good guy. He would come into the Herald-Dispatch sometimes when I was a photographer there, and always gave me a big hug. My ear came to his belt buckle. The actor who played him in the movie was not that tall. LOL! I always clean his tombstone off when I come back to Huntington.
You're a sweet person; it's nice to hear a memory from someone who knew him. It helps all of us get to know him.
To quote the line in the movie when Coach Lengyel met Coach Bowden: "First Class, Sharon, First Class!". God Bless!
I would have been in grade school when this happened. Graduating High School in '77, at 49 now I applaude the school, admin, and town for carrying on and supporting those lost and looking to the future. What a legacy you all have shown for those who don't know the history. Thanks
r.i.p. nate is my idol and inspires me to keep playing football no matter how bad my team sucks
I have watched this movie MANY times and cry throughout the whole movie. Tonight I watched it as I lay in bed unable to sleep due to liver cancer and 2 broken vertebrates with Osteoporosis in my spine. I am facing a painful liver biopsy and spinal surgery with a biopsy. Then treatment for my 7th but of cancer. I ran out of 3 px's and had to wait to get the money for it thus causing a severe migraine with nausea since Monday night. This movie really helps put my faith in place as God is in CONTROL of our lives! He only took home those He WANTED and made sure the others were injured, over slept or traded seats on the plane. This gives me the strength to go through the pain AGAIN with this bout. I just pray I can SERVE our Lord and make this life on Earth worthwhile!! Nate Ruffin did just that and made our Lord proud as well as the humans here in Earth!! I wish I could have met him and maybe one day with my love of the game God will let me finally PLAY pro ball in Heaven as I would be an awesome QB!! I'm an FAU alumni, but "My heart is Marshall"!!! God bless to all of the brothers that passed and to the others still alive and their families!!
Prayers for your healing!
RIP- I visited the Fountain in 2021 ....quiet Summer Day...nobody around but the spirits of a day where everyone was young playing Football.
I know this was posted years ago, but my thoughts and prayers are with Nate Ruffins family, and the other 75 families, I hope they're doing okay and are all happy and healthy. Nates homecoming must have been spectacular tho, 75 friends welcoming him with hugs and pats on the back, I'll bet he's kicking butt on the field up there with his boys again.
If you don't cry while watching the movie and video, you ain't got a clue. Life is short. Embrace every day. May God bless you all.
as I watched the movie I recalled hearing about this terrible tragedy when I was only 11 yrs old at the time, what does an 11 yr old know about tragedy? well yrs later I am now old enough to appreciate the gravity of those events and as I watched how Nate Ruffin was so instrumental in the resurgence of the Marshall football program. I cannot help but feel sense of pride and admiration for nate and only hope, since he is buried with his old friends, that he is finally at peace with himself and all he has had to endure from the time of the crash til his final resting place. sleep well Nate, you will always be a "Son of Marshall"
Just found this beautiful video today. in 2020. and crying as I watch it. Thank you for posting. Thoughts and prayers with Nate Ruffins family and the other 75 families as we near the 50th anniversary of the plane crash.
R.I.P Marshall University 1970 players Love You Guys And Miss You
Something rather ironic about Nate Ruffin. On Oct. 2, 1970, Wichita State's football team suffered the same tragedy Marshall did, but not quite as bad. Exactly 31 years later on Oct. 2, Ruffin passed away.
God bless Nate, a true hero who is now with his Herd. I sure hope practice is going well up there guys!
From the UK I am not fan of USA footie or even into sports, but I just saw the movie and found it very moving. It made me want to write to Nate, I thought he was still alive until the ending, which made me cry. Proud of all u guys. L
God bless you Nate~ I have no doubt you all had one incredible reunion in Heaven
R.I.P Nate Ruffin, you are the meaning of inspiration.
I'm close to tears....God Bless you Nate, and all of your teammates who were so tragically taken from you much sooner than anyone imagined.
I take comfort knowing you all are together again.
RIP Nate Ruffin And The Whole Marshall Football Team
Thank you. No words to describe the depth of feeling this event evokes. Truly spiritual. God Bless Nate's family and the entire Marshall University team/family, past, present and future.
It is 2020 and I still cry when I watch this. Thanks for posting this!
I think it was this Game in 2000 THAT WE TOOK THE GOAL POST AND PUT IT IN THE FOUNTAIN FOR THE 75 AFTER THIS GAME. PRETTY SURE IT WAS THIS ONE.
Let the perpetual light shine on you Nate, you'll never be forgotten....
His mom didn't know he wasn't on the plane-he didn't want her to know he was hurt and not able to play.
May they never be forgotten. RIP and God bless Marshall University
Thank you for posting video. After seeing the movie, it was nice to hear and see the real Nate. His letter to his team mates Made me tear up. RIP Nate the 75 members of the Herd.
What an amazing man.
Thank you so much for sharing this video .. great for all of us who love the Herd .. and this will be great for those who will come to know us through the "We Are Marshall" movie!
still to this day...the Marshall legacy. RIP to all. My prayers are with all the families.....they should teach this story in schools
Thank you so much for posting this! Mr. Ruffin endured so much during his life. Through it all he perserved.
One day soon i hope marshall plays for and wins the national title. Who would not root for marshall if they did play in the championship!
God bless you mr ruffin. Your life is an inspiration to all of us
a true hero .....................
He truly was special. Watching the video brings many memories to mind. I just got an email from his daughter yesterday. I sent her an email from a fan (See Azanti below) of the movie who saw this clip too and was touched because of losses he had experienced. This clip has immortalized Nate as the voice of the silent team he has now joined in eternity.
It makes me feel good to know that Nate is up there with his teammates
He was lucky to have a good friend in you to help continue his amazing legacy.
I just seen the movie today, it was a great emotional movie..R.I.P to everyperson that lost their life on that plane
My father and I were new to the story of We Are Marshall when we saw the film in theaters. Hence we never heard of the plane crash until the film's theatrical run. I was living in the parental home at the time of the film's theatrical run. By the time the film was released to DVD and hi-def formations, I got a job and left the parental home. I was not born at the time of plane crash. My oldest brother was then a newborn at the time.
Wasn't familiar with the story of Nate Ruffin until the movie came out. Heartbreaking what he and his surviving teammates must have felt and went through. He's right. He was meant to be alive to keep the memory of his Marshall team alive. RIP to Nate and all the victims of that terrible crash.
What a brave man fearlessly staring his own imminent death in the face with pride and dignity.
The background title track from the movie "For Love of the Game" really adds a great touch to this video clip.
R.I.P. Nate
From Brazil
RIP, Nate Ruffin 🥲👍✝️🎗❤🏈🏟
I just Re-Visited his gravesite Nov. 14th, 2009, RIP...
SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Wow, what a guy!
Una storia che mi ha emozionato... i am marshall
REST IN PEACE NATE
R.I.P Mr.Nate Ruffin!
I'm happy to know that he's in heavin with all his friends that was in the crash rip
Amazing Man...
Thanks bdodson95 for answering. I am a Zeta. I was curious as to what he was. Thanks again
My brother, James Simons, #52 was on this 2000 team!
I was onboard that flight. It was a rough night, a real close call for me.
What a great team mate.
watchin this made me cry
Your my hero Nate Ruffin
RIP Nate
Nate RIP
I believe he passed away not long after this sadly
Justin Pierce He died in 2001, and what's rather odd is it was on 10-2-01. One month before the Marshall plane crash, Wichita State met the same fate to a lesser degree. Oct. 2, 1970 was that date. Maybe a bit coincidental Ruffin passed 31 years to the date of the WSU crash's anniversary.
@Sikwitit If you are half the man he was, you are doing very well!
what heartless person would dislike this video ?
My guess would be a WVU fan.
what a great video..
wow that was very emotionel
I definitely got plans to travel there sometime in the future to visit his and his teammates grave site. I bet they're having a blast taking the field up in the heavens together again.
This question is for bdodson95.
This Shii so sad bruh 💯
i never went to the gravesite but i would like to go there some day go herd
Damn Nate was stronger than me. Holy fuck
@12bdawk i agree with you
name of the song??
I loved this comment!
He's playing for Heavens Herds!
Kappa Alpha Psi 1968
He would of been 20 or 21 the year the plane crashed.
20
What fraternity to you belong to?