City of Tuscaloosa Holds Marshall Four Statue Unveiling

The City of Tuscaloosa held a ceremony for the Marshall Four Statue Unveiling on Wednesday, November 5 at 9 a.m.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, Pastor David Gay, Councilor Raevan Howard, Former City Council President Harrison Taylor, City of Tuscaloosa Attorney and former Marshall University Student Body President Matt Glover, Marshall University Vice President of Alumni Relations Matt James, Marshall University Student Body President Connor Waller, Marshall plane crash family member Lucianne Kautz-Call, former classmate Peggy Carpenter and Tuscaloosa Director of Arts & Entertainment Kay Day spoke during the ceremony.

"The Marshall Four story is Tuscaloosa's story," Mayor Walt Maddox said. "It can finally be told without reservation and in perpetuity with today's unveiling. Joe Hood, Larry Sanders, Robert VanHorn and Freddy Wilson did not get to grow old, but their wisdom lives on to teach us and future generations."

The "Marshall Four" refers to the first Black athletes from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to attend Marshall University, in Huntington, West Virginia, on athletic scholarships to pursue football. On the evening of November 14, 1970, 75 lives were lost, including the Marshall Four, on an airplane returning to Huntington, West Virginia, following their 17-14 defeat against the East Carolina University Pirates. The plane was just one mile short of the runway in Ceredo, West Virginia.

"We're here today to honor these four young men," said Former City Council President Harrison Taylor. "These young men not only went to church away from home, they joined the first Baptist Church in Huntington, West Virginia."

The statues were created by local artist and sculptor, Caleb O'Connor, who also created the Minerva statue at Manderson Landing as well as the Deontay Wilder statue found in front of the Visit Tuscaloosa Welcome Center.

"This is an exciting moment and for me, this moment seems long overdue and much anticipated," said Councilor Raevan Howard. "These four men will be forever known as the Druid Dragons, the Marshall Four and legends of our hometown. To be able to give these legends a permanent place in their community, to be celebrated, is an honor I will never forget and will forever treasure in my heart."

The Marshall Four attended Druid High School and were members of the Druid High Dragons football team.

"Today's a special day and it's bittersweet for us in the Marshall family," said Marshall University Vice President of Alumni Relations Matt James. "On days like this, we're filled with a sense of pride , but we're also very sad because we remember. When challenging things happen in life, we can go one of two ways and we always choose to remember, even though that's the hardest thing to do."

The statues can be found in front of the Benjamin Barns YMCA in West Tuscaloosa, where the Marshall Four spent much of their childhood. An Elevate Tuscaloosa project, the new Benjamin Barnes YMCA facility opened in December 2024.