The project , which is slated to begin construction after the 2017 football season and was to be completed in time for the 2018 football season , has been extended to a 16-18 month construction period . The renovation includes : On November 14 , 1970 , the visiting Marshall University Thundering Herd lost a game 17-14 to the Pirates at Dowdy – Ficklen Stadium , which ended with Marshall quarterback Ted Shoebridge controversially being called for intentional grounding on the last play of the game . Later that evening , while on approach to Huntington Tri-State Airport , the Marshall football team 's plane , which had been chartered to transport the Thundering Herd to and from Greenville , crashed , killing all 75 people on board
plane
Southern Airways Flight 932
Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium