Wichita State and Marshall meet Friday in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament, but the universities have been forever bound by two plane crashes in 1970, 44 days apart, that took a combined 106 lives. This story originally appeared in The Eagle on Oct. 1, 2000, the 30th anniversary of the tragedies.
The healing process for two universities began with music and laughter in a packed Levitt Arena on a chilly Saturday night. “A Night of Stars,” held Nov. 28, 1970, was supposed to be a benefit for the victims of a horrific airplane crash carrying members and supporters of the Wichita State football team.