{"id":28662,"date":"2025-10-06T15:31:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T19:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/?p=28662"},"modified":"2025-10-06T15:31:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T19:31:15","slug":"marshall-university-spins-to-win-during-wheel-of-thunder-2025-homecoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/2025\/10\/marshall-university-spins-to-win-during-wheel-of-thunder-2025-homecoming\/","title":{"rendered":"Marshall University spins to win during \u2018Wheel of Thunder\u2019 2025 Homecoming"},"content":{"rendered":"
Marshall University has announced its 2025 Homecoming schedule, featuring a week of fun and engaging events for students, alumni and the community. The theme this year is \u201cWheel of Thunder,\u201d a nod to Grand Marshal Jim Thornton, a Marshall alum and the voice of \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d and \u201cCelebrity Wheel of Fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Homecoming game is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, against Texas State University at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cHomecoming is always such a special time for our students, alumni and the entire Marshall community to come together and celebrate what it means to be part of the Herd,\u201d said Buffy Six, communications coordinator for the Division of Student Affairs. \u201cThis year, we\u2019re looking forward to some of our most treasured traditions \u2014 like the Unity Walk and announcing Marshall Royalty at halftime \u2014 along with new events we\u2019ve planned for everyone to enjoy throughout the week. We\u2019re also thrilled to welcome families to campus for Parent and Family Weekend and can\u2019t wait to see our students and their loved ones decked out in Kelly green, experiencing all that Marshall has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Marshall University Alumni Association looks forward to welcoming alumni back and celebrating the important role they play in the university\u2019s growth and success.<\/p>\n

\u201cHomecoming is a time to celebrate the connections that tie generations of the Marshall community together,\u201d said Walker Tatum, director of alumni engagement. \u201cThis year\u2019s theme, \u2018Wheel of Thunder,\u2019 honors the work of Jim Thornton, our grand marshal, and we know alumni will enjoy the wide variety of events planned throughout the week. From campus activities to downtown celebrations, Homecoming offers a chance to reconnect, reminisce and experience all that makes Marshall special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please see a full list of events and activities below:<\/p>\n

Monday, Oct. 13<\/strong><\/p>\n

The week kicks off at 5 p.m. with the Unity Walk, inviting students, faculty, staff, organizations and community members to march from the Marshall Recreation Center to the Memorial Student Center (MSC) Plaza in a show of Marshall pride. Following the walk, the Homecoming Court will be announced.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, Oct. 14<\/strong><\/p>\n

Voting for Homecoming Court will take place in the MSC Lobby.<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s Soccer takes on Oakland University at 7:15 p.m. at Hoops Family Field at Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, Oct. 15<\/strong><\/p>\n

From noon to 3 p.m., the ACE Center will close out Hispanic Heritage Month with its first-ever Salsa Making Competition on the MSC Plaza, hosted by Chef Izzy Cross from Huntington\u2019s Kitchen.<\/p>\n

Meet Jim at Jim\u2019s! Thornton will host a meet and greet at Jim\u2019s Steak and Spaghetti House from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to connect with Herd fans.<\/p>\n

Thursday, Oct. 16<\/strong><\/p>\n

The day begins with the Alumni Association\u2019s annual Office Decorating Contest from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., where departments and offices across campus will showcase their Herd pride. Prizes will be awarded in multiple categories, with winners announced during Friday\u2019s bonfire. That evening, alumni and friends can enjoy the return of Homecoming StamFEED at 5:30 p.m., starting at LaFontaine\u2019s Rooftop Lounge before continuing to several favorite downtown restaurants. Tickets are $75 and may be purchased at https:\/\/homecomingstamfeed2025.eventbrite.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The excitement continues downtown with Hoops in Huntington at Pullman Square, highlighting Marshall University Athletics. Fans are encouraged to arrive at 6:30 p.m. for an autograph session with the teams, along with family-friendly games, competitions and inflatables, leading into the main program at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Friday, Oct. 17<\/strong><\/p>\n

WMUL will host its annual Car Bash from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Buskirk Field. Join us as participants pay $1 to bash the car, painted in Texas State University\u2019s colors, with a sledgehammer for two minutes. Sledgehammer, gloves and goggles will be provided.<\/p>\n

Party on the Plaza returns from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the MSC Plaza with music, food, games, giveaways and more. The event is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the community, and is hosted by the Marshall University Huntington Alumni Chapter.<\/p>\n

Parent and Family Weekend begins at noon with check-in, and will close at 7 p.m. For those set to attend, stop by the MSC Lobby to receive your T-shirts, meal tickets and information about the weekend\u2019s activities. For more information, email Dr. Gabe Brown at brownga@marshall.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s Volleyball faces the University of Louisiana at Monroe twice during the week \u2014 first at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Cam Henderson Center, and again at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17. Marshall Softball will also compete at home against the University of Charleston at 5 p.m. Friday.<\/p>\n

The Homecoming parade, sponsored by Xfinity, will march down the streets of Huntington at 6 p.m., featuring Thornton as grand marshal. Thornton, a Huntington native, has served as the announcer for \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d since 2011. A storied career in broadcast news and voice work, Thornton was previously the co-anchor for KNX 1070 Newsradio in Los Angeles. Beyond his work as an anchor and announcer, Thornton has multiple voice acting credits to his name. Most notably, his voice was featured in the 2001 Pixar film, \u201cMonsters, Inc.\u201d and \u201cLet\u2019s Pollute!,\u201d which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film, Animated in 2011.<\/p>\n

The parade will begin on Fourth Avenue at 10th Street and travel east to Hal Greer Boulevard, where it will move up to Fifth Avenue and continue east to 17th Street at Harless Dining Hall. For those who are unable to attend the Homecoming parade in person, a livestream of the event may be viewed at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/marshallu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The annual bonfire, also sponsored by Xfinity, is scheduled to take place immediately following the parade at Harless Field (located between Harless Dining Hall and City National Bank). Announcements will be made for the winners of the Office Decorating Contest and the parade floats. There will also be special appearances by coaches, players, cheerleaders and more.<\/p>\n

At 8 p.m., Marshall University Black Alumni will host its Hall of Fame ceremony in Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall. Honorees include Steve Robinson, Sylvia Ridgeway, Wendy Thomas, Elouise Baker, Charles Meyers and Damone Williams. The cocktail hour will begin at 7 p.m. For more information, email mubahalloffame@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Closing out Friday night, the Silent Disco returns from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the Don Morris Room of the MSC.<\/p>\n

Saturday, Oct. 18<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Marshall University Alumni Tailgate is set for 12:30 p.m. Sponsored by Xfinity and Woodlands Retirement Community, the tailgate will take place at 317 20th St. in the parking lot between the Rec Center and the Sorrell Maintenance Building. The tailgate is hosted jointly by the Alumni Association and Marshall University Black Alumni. The tailgate features food, drinks, music and special guest appearances. Tickets are $20. To purchase, visit https:\/\/muaatailgate2025.eventbrite.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Parent and Family Weekend Tailgate is from noon to 3 p.m. between Freshman North and South dormitories. Tickets are required and can be purchased here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Thundering Herd will take on Texas State University at 3:30 p.m. at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. During halftime, Homecoming Royalty will be crowned on the field.<\/p>\n

The annual Greek Stroll-Off Competition is set for 8 p.m. at Marco\u2019s in the lower level of the MSC.<\/p>\n

To read the full list of Homecoming events and activities, visit https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/homecoming\/events<\/a> and https:\/\/www.formarshallu.org\/events\/homecoming-2025\/<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marshall University has announced its 2025 Homecoming schedule, featuring a week of fun and engaging events for students, alumni and the community. The theme this year is \u201cWheel of Thunder,\u201d a nod to Grand Marshal Jim Thornton, a Marshall alum and the voice of \u201cWheel of Fortune\u201d and \u201cCelebrity Wheel of Fortune.\u201d The Homecoming game […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28662"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28668,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28662\/revisions\/28668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}