We Are Marshall
We Are Marshall
We Are Marshall is a 2006 American movie based on true events. It tells how Marshall University rebuilt its football program after a 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people, including 37 players.
Matthew McConaughey plays head coach Jack Lengyel. Matthew Fox plays assistant coach Red Dawson. David Strathairn plays university president Donald Dedmon.
After the crash, the school considers shutting down football. Dedmon hires Lengyel to start over. Red Dawson, one of the few who survived the crash, helps him. They form a new team with returning players, new freshmen, and other walk-ons. At the time, college football did not allow freshmen to play varsity, but Dedmon asks the NCAA to change this for Marshall. The request is approved.
The team, nicknamed the Young Thundering Herd, loses their first game 29-6 to Morehead State, but wins their home opener 15-13 against Xavier. The movie follows the community as they grieve, heal, and support the team.
In the end, the film shows Marshall football growing again in the following years.
Production began April 3, 2006 in Huntington, West Virginia, and finished in Atlanta. The film opened in theaters on December 22, 2006. It had a budget of about $65 million and grossed about $43.5 million.
We Are Marshall received mixed reviews from critics. It holds about 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score around 53, with some praising McConaughey’s performance and others criticizing the directing. A later lawsuit related to the film was dismissed in 2008.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:25 (CET).