1996_Marshall_Thundering_Herd_football_team

1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football
1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football
NCAA Division I-AA champion; SoCon champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, W 49–29 vs. Montana
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 1
Record	15–0 (8–0 SoCon)
Head coach	Bob Pruett (1st season);
Co-offensive coordinator	Larry Kueck (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Gunter Brewer (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Kevin Kelly (1st season)
Captain	Eric Kresser, Tim Martin, Aaron Ferguson, Melvin Cunningham, Billy Lyon, Jermaine Swafford
Home stadium	Marshall University Stadium
	Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

American college football season

The 1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University as a member of Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Bob Pruett, the Thundering Herd compiled an overall record of 15–0 with mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the SoCon title. Marshall advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship playoffs, where they beat Delaware in the first round, Furman in the quarterfinals, Northern Iowa in the semifinals, and Montana in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game to win the program's second NCAA Division I-AA title. 1996 was Marshall's final season competing at the NCAA Division I-AA level as they moved to NCAA Division I-A competition and joined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in 1997.

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[1] [1]
"Final Sports Network's 1996 Division I-AA College Football Poll". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2009.

[2] [2]
"Marshall 55, Howard 27". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 8, 1996. Retrieved June 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] [3]
"Marshall thunders past VMI". The Daily News Leader. October 13, 1996. Retrieved February 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] [4]
"Marshall downs Furman for conference crown". The Times and Democrat. November 17, 1996. Retrieved September 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] [5]
"Marshall rips Furman in I-AA quarterfinal". The Charlotte Observer. December 8, 1996. Retrieved September 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] [6]
"Past and Passes Key Moss's Future". The Washington Post. August 31, 1996. Retrieved January 12, 2019.

[7] [7]
"Marshall 29, Georgia Southern 13". Associated Press. September 21, 1996. Retrieved January 13, 2019.

[8] [8]
"Western loses quarterback, then Marshall romps 37-3". The Courier-Journal via Newspapers.com. September 29, 1996. Retrieved January 13, 2019.

[9] [9]
"Marshall 59, Delaware 14". Chicago Tribune. December 1, 1996. Retrieved January 5, 2019.

[10] [10]
"Marshall Routs Furman in NCAA I-AA Playoffs". Tulsa World. December 8, 1996. Retrieved January 5, 2019.

[11] [11]
"Marshall 31, N. Iowa 14". Associated Press. December 14, 1996. Retrieved January 5, 2019.

[12] [12]
"Moss, Marshall Thunder Montana". The Spokesman-Review. December 22, 1996. Retrieved January 5, 2019.

[13] [13]
"No Slipping for Marshall, Moss". Chicago Tribune. December 22, 1996. Retrieved January 5, 2019.

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Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	7:00 pm	Howard*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV		W 55–27	26,054	^[2]
September 14	7:00 pm	West Virginia State*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV		W 42–7	21,851
September 21	3:30 pm	at No. 13 Georgia Southern	No. 1	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA	WSAZ	W 29–13	13,977
September 28	7:00 pm	No. 12 Western Kentucky*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV		W 37–3	20,755
October 5	7:00 pm	Chattanooga	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	WSAZ	W 45–0	22,078
October 12	1:00 pm	at VMI	No. 1	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA		W 45–20	9,165	^[3]
October 19	7:00 pm	Western Carolina	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	WSAZ	W 56–21	19,330
October 26	1:00 pm	at No. 20 Appalachian State	No. 1	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	SS	W 24–10	23,458
November 2	1:00 pm	The Citadel	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	WSAZ	W 56–25	21,038
November 9	2:00 pm	at No. 7 East Tennessee State	No. 1	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	WSAZ	W 34–10	13,131
November 16	1:00 pm	No. 12 Furman	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV		W 42–17	22,615	^[4]
November 30	1:00 pm	No. 11 Delaware*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	WSAZ	W 59–14	15,429
December 7	1:00 pm	No. 13 Furman	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	WSAZ	W 54–0	14,096	^[5]
December 14	1:00 pm	No. 3 Northern Iowa*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	WSAZ	W 31–14	14,414
December 21	2:00 pm	No. 2 Montana*	No. 1	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	ESPN	W 49–29	30,052
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

1996_Marshall_Thundering_Herd_football_team

1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Schedule

Roster

Game summaries

Howard

West Virginia State

at Georgia Southern

Western Kentucky

Chattanooga

at VMI

Western Carolina

at Appalachian State

The Citadel

at East Tennessee State

Furman

Delaware (Division I-AA First Round Playoff Game)

Furman (Division I-AA Quarterfinal Playoff Game)

Northern Iowa (Division I-AA Semifinal Playoff Game)

Montana (Division I-AA National Championship)

References

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1996 Marshall Thundering Herd football
NCAA Division I-AA champion SoCon champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, W 49–29 vs. Montana
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 1^[1]
Record	15–0 (8–0 SoCon)
Head coach	Bob Pruett (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Larry Kueck (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Gunter Brewer (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Kevin Kelly (1st season)
Captain	Eric Kresser, Tim Martin, Aaron Ferguson, Melvin Cunningham, Billy Lyon, Jermaine Swafford
Home stadium	Marshall University Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 Marshall $^	8	–	0	15	–	0
No. T–8 East Tennessee State ^	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 13 Furman ^	6	–	2	9	–	4
No. 25 Appalachian State	5	–	3	7	–	4
The Citadel	3	–	5	4	–	7
Georgia Southern	2	–	6	4	–	7
VMI	2	–	6	3	–	8
Chattanooga	2	–	6	3	–	8
Western Carolina	1	–	7	4	–	7

$ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll