Our Story
The Moments that Shaped Us
One of West Virginia’s first public institutions of higher education, Marshall University was founded as Marshall Academy in 1837 as a teacher’s training college and named after Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall (1755-1835).
The institution became Marshall College in 1858.
Salina Hite Mason saves Marshall College by purchasing the property at auction for $1500 and supporting the school financially.
Our enrollment passes 1,000 students.
Herald-Dispatch Sports Editor Charles V. “Duke” Ridgely refers to the Marshall football team as the “Thundering Herd” for the first time.
During the height of the Great Depression, students paid for tuition with “IOUs” and potatoes. (Yes, really!)
During the 1937 Ohio River Valley Flood, campus facilities were damaged.
The West Virginia Board of Education in 1938 authorized Marshall to offer the master’s degree in six disciplines – chemistry, education, history, political science, psychology and sociology.
Shortly after the end of World War II, more than 500 veterans enrolled in a Marshall program allowing graduation in three years.
The men’s basketball team won a national championship in 1947 and the football team played in the 1948 Tangerine Bowl in Florida. Both teams were coached by the legendary Cam Henderson.
One of the most joyous days in Marshall history came in the spring of 1961 when the West Virginia Legislature approved university status after much debate. The news reached campus quickly March 1, 1961. The image here is students holding up the front page of The Parthenon, the university newspaper. The issue, which had no date printed, actually was prepared before the legislation passed and was held secret until the moment lawmakers acted.
Our beloved mascot, Marco, appeared in physical form for the first time at the Marshall vs. Bowling Green basketball game on March 6, 1965, thanks to a men’s honorary fraternity and booster club called The Robe. The group purchased the mascot costume for $200.
On November 14, 1970, an airplane crash at the Huntington Tri-State airport, took the lives of 75 people, including members of the Thundering Herd football team, coaches, supporters and crew.
This former railway hospital next to campus became the home of the new School of Medicine, with its first class admitted in 1978. The program was a cooperative effort with the Veterans Administration.
Enrollment surpassed 12,000 students.
Marshall won the school’s first national football championship in 1992, defeating Youngstown State, 31-28, for the I-AA crown. The championship game was played at Marshall Stadium.
Perhaps its most memorable football season was in 1999, when Marshall went 13-0, defeated traditional national powers Clemson 13-10 in the season opener and Brigham Young 21-3 in the Motor City Bowl, and earned a top 10 national ranking.
Drinko Library, the university’s second full-size library and information center, opened in 1998. It melds a full range of traditional library services with state-of-the-art computer and advanced technological education facilities, and demonstrated Marshall’s commitment to be a modern and technology-friendly university.
The library, located on the western side of campus beside Old Main, is named for John Deaver Drinko, a Marshall graduate, philanthropist and strong supporter of higher education.
In April 2006, filming for “We Are Marshall” began in Huntington. For three weeks the film crew worked on campus and at other locations throughout Huntington. Scenes were filmed in the Morrow Library, the Memorial Student Center, Twin Towers, and a variety of outdoor campus locations.
Members of the Marshall community, as well as town’s people, served as extras in a number of the scenes. It was an exciting time—when Hollywood came to Marshall University.
On March 6, 2019, Marshall University achieved a research milestone and is classified as a R2 Research Institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The designation places Marshall among the top six percent of college and universities in the nation and is the second-highest classification an institution can receive from the organization.
Marshall University Soccer makes an improbable run to the College Cup, final four of Men’s soccer in Cary, North Carolina. After defeating the host school, the University of North Carolina, Marshall takes down college soccer powerhouse Indiana University to win the school’s first Division 1 National Championship. Due to COVID-19, the game was played in May 2021, but the championship title was for the 2020 season.
“Marshall For All, Marshall Forever” strategic roadmap developed—with the goal of every student graduating debt-free by 2037. The first cohort of 100 “Marshall For All” students arrive.
