18 Facts About Rick Tolley

Rickey Dale Tolley was an American football coach.

Rick Tolley served as the head football coach at Marshall University during the 1969 and 1970 seasons.

Rick Tolley died in the 1970 plane crash that killed all of the crew and passengers, including most of the Marshall football team and coaching staff and several team boosters.

Rick Tolley played college football as a center and linebacker at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Rick Tolley then joined the football coaching staff at Ferrum Junior College for three years, one of which they won the National Junior College Championship.

Rick Tolley then left to become the defensive line coach at Wake Forest University in 1968.

Rick Tolley joined Perry Moss's Marshall football staff as defensive line coach in early 1969 replacing Ken Cooper who resigned to coach in Florida Rick Tolley was interior line coach at the time of Moss's removal from the head coaching duties.

Rick Tolley became the interim head coach of Marshall just four days before the start of fall practice for the 1969 season.

Rick Tolley started the season with over 40 players but through attrition, the number of players dropped to just 32 after the team lost the first six games.

Rick Tolley was able to turn things around and managed to win three straight games against Bowling Green, Kent State and East Carolina.

Rick Tolley had expressed his desire to be the permanent head coach, but the university had not appointed a permanent athletic director and would name a head coach after the season was complete.

Rick Tolley's appointment was a unanimous recommendation by a special selection committee submitted to Donald Dedmon, executive vice president of the university, who made the final decision, in an absence of Roland Nelson, Marshall University president who was on vacation.

Rick Tolley was killed in the Marshall football plane crash on November 14,1970, along with members of his coaching staff and 37 of his football players.

Patrick was 18 years older than Tolley, causing Tolley to be portrayed in the film as middle-aged.

Rick Tolley was married to the former Mary Jane Edmundson of Charlottesville, Virginia from 1963 to his death.

Mary Jane Rick Tolley later moved back to Virginia, where she taught English and creative writing for high school students.

Rick Tolley never remarried, and is retired and living an active life in Richmond.

Rick Tolley can be seen in a final scene in the movie We Are Marshall with many people gathered around the university Memorial Water Fountain honoring and remembering the crash victims.