We Are Marshall

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We Are Marshall

• Fact vs. Fiction

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(No Transcript)
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Characters
The characters of Annie Cantrell and Paul Griffen
were not real people. They were both composite
characters used to tell the stories of many
community members touched by the crash.
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Characters
The characters of Chris Griffen and Tom Bogdan
(the player who overslept) were both fictional
and not based on any real members of the 1970
Marshall team.
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Neither the Marshall cheerleaders nor the band
made the trip to East Carolina.
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The game between Marshall and East Carolina ended
on a field goal. 17 14
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Characters
Dr. Donald Dedmon was not fired by Marshall. He
was the interim president at the time of the
crash and served until a new president was named
the following spring.
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Characters
Jack Lengyel was not as quirky of a person as
Matthew McConaughey portrays. McConaughey played
up his mannerisms and speech.
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Events
The plane was not identified as being the
Marshall plane based on finding a Marshall
playbook. In actuality, it was first identified
by a wallet found at the site. Newspaper
reporters recognized the name as belonging to a
Marshall player.
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Events

• The scene where Red Dawson comes home to his wife
  who thinks he is dead is fictional.
• Red Dawson was always scheduled to go on the
  recruiting trip and not fly back on the plane.
• A graduate assistant gave Deke Brackett his seat
  on the plane and drove back with Dawson.

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There is an emotional scene where Dawson's wife
is distraught because she thought Red was on the
plane. That wasn't true. She knew all along that
he was driving back from North Carolina.
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The six pack of Colt 45 (beer) became a case of
Fall City in the movie
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The movie showed a rescue worker at the crash
site finding a slightly charred Marshall playbook
amidst the debris. According to the film, that's
how it was determined the MU team was in the
crash. That's pure fabrication
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The movie showed Reggie Oliver paying respects to
his dead friends in a church in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
There were three caskets. There should have been
four. Oliver lost four former Druid High School
teammates in the crash -- roommate Joe Hood, Bob
Van Horn, Freddie Wilson and Larry Sanders
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Events

• The scene where Nate Ruffin interrupts a Board of
  Governors meeting is completely fictional.
• The We Are Marshall chant was not used in the
  early 1970s
• There was no Board of Governors at that time

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Events
Jack Lengyel was not the first coach that
Marshall hired after the tragedy. Another coach
accepted the job and backed out after two days.
Also, President Donald Dedmon did not hire
Lengyel. The schools new athletic director Joe
McMullen (who is not in the film) actually hired
Lengyel.
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It was McMullen who hired Lengyel. And it
was McMullen who coined the term "Young
Thundering Herd." The late McMullen was a
larger-than-life individual, both physically and
figuratively, but the filmmakers conveniently
excluded him from the movie.
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The movie shows Lengyel asking Dawson who MU has
at quarterback. Dawson answers, "Dave Walsh."
Then, a small wide receiver throws a long pass.
Lengyel asks who that is. Dawson replies, "That's
a wide receiver named Reggie Oliver." Lengyel
responds that Oliver now is a quarterback.
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The truth is, Oliver was a dropback quarterback
who wasn't suited for the option offense that
Lengyel wanted to install. So, Lengyel actually
moved Oliver from quarterback to wide receiver
for one week. Oliver was extremely upset over the
position change and was moved back to quarterback.
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The film depicts Marshall as having a rivalry
with West Virginia University. That wasn't the
case in those days. The film also fixated on
Marshall losing recruiting battles to the
Mountaineers. That didn't happen, either.
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Matthew McConaughey's portrayal of Lengyel was
way off target. Lengyel wasn't a goofy-acting
coach who talked out of the side of his mouth and
perpetually needed a shave. On the contrary,
Lengyel was an eloquent speaker who exuded class.
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The basketball player turned football wide
receiver portrayed by former MU basketball star
Mark Patton was named Bill James in the film.
And, yes, there is a former Herd basketball
player by that name who indeed did play football
for MU during his one remaining semester of
eligibility. But James didn't play for the
"Young Thundering Herd." In fact, he didn't play
football until two seasons later
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During a well-publicized scene, Lengyel walks
outside his home and sees fans streaming down the
sidewalks toward Fairfield Stadium for the Xavier
game. That never would happen
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Events
The game-winning play in the Marshall victory
over Xavier was changed. The Thundering Herd
scored on a screen pass and not a crossing route.
Also, after the game, the fans did not come on
the field, but instead stayed in the stands
crying.
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According to the movie, McShane's character had a
son, Chris Griffin, who wore No. 29, was
Marshall's star running back and died in the
crash. No such player ever existed.
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Chuck Landon article

• Read We Are Marshall is anything but a true
  story by Chuck Landon
• Why do you think the movie producers said This
  is a true story instead of Based on a true
  story? What would you have done?

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Movie Fiction

• Knowing these changes, does it affect the way you
  feel about the movie?
• Why do you believe the movie producers made these
  changes to the story?
• If they had kept to the truth of the story, do
  you think it would have changed the impact of the
  movie?
• Answer these questions in a journal. Write at
  least half a page.