He became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Marshall University in 1968 , and was appointed executive vice president the following year , becoming acting president of the University in 1970 when the president resigned . In this role he led the campus through the November 14 , 1970 , plane crash in which 37 members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football squad , eight members of the coaching staff , 25 boosters , four flight crew members , and one employee of the charter company were killed . The team was returning home after a 17-14 loss against the East Carolina University Pirates at Ficklen Stadium in Greenville , North Carolina . David Strathairn portrays Donald Dedmon in the movie '' We Are Marshall ''
plane crash
Southern Airways Flight 932
Donald Dedmon