Synopsis

After a plane crash kills most of Marshall University's football team, the grieving school and Huntington community face an uncertain future. Newly hired coach Jack Lengyel works with the surviving players and assistant coach Red Dawson to rebuild the program. Their effort becomes a test of courage, memory, and collective healing as Marshall attempts to return to the field.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is based on the November 14, 1970 crash of Southern Airways Flight 932, which killed all 75 people aboard, including Marshall players, coaches, staff members, supporters, and the flight crew.

• Filming began in Huntington, West Virginia, in April 2006. Production spent about three weeks on the Marshall University campus and used several recognizable campus locations.

• Marshall University provided consultants, historians, archivists, and other assistance to help the production portray the tragedy and its aftermath respectfully. The university also acknowledged that the film used some literary license.

• Local Marshall supporters and Huntington residents appeared as extras. For the major stadium sequences, the production combined hundreds of live extras with thousands of inflatable dummies and computer-generated spectators.

• The film's world premiere took place at Huntington's Keith-Albee Theatre on December 12, 2006. Instead of the traditional red carpet, the premiere used a green carpet, reflecting Marshall's school colors.

• The movie received an "A-" audience grade from CinemaScore, despite mixed reviews from critics who often praised the emotional performances while questioning some of the film's dramatic and historical simplifications.