By Jack Houvouras
HQ 131 | AUTUMN 2025
This edition of the magazine marks the 14th time we have featured Marshall University football on the cover. As a publisher and sports fan, chronicling the success of the Thundering Herd program for the last 36 years has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job. Each year has brought its own unique excitement, but for me the 1997 season will always be the greatest.
Not all Marshall fans will agree with me. Some may point to the 1992 season, when Marshall captured its first-ever NCAA I-AA national championship. Others may choose 1996, when freshman Randy Moss led the Thundering Herd to an undefeated season and its second national title. Still others might go with the 1999 season, when the team finished the year 13-0 and ranked No. 10 in the nation. But from my perspective, there was something extraordinarily special in the air in ’97.
First, that year marked Marshall’s return to Division I-A competition, which meant the program would be competing with the big boys. We previewed that season in the magazine with a cover featuring Coach Bob Pruett, Chad Pennington and preseason All-American Randy Moss. Our headline read “Here We Come.”
Second, the season opener would see Marshall play cross-state rival WVU for the first time in 74 years. As a member of the media, I was on the field for that game, and the electricity in the air was palpable. When Marshall took the lead at the start of the fourth quarter, the overflow crowd in Morgantown fell deathly silent. Unfortunately, the Herd went on to lose the game, and that narrow defeat remains the most painful loss I’ve ever experienced as a fan.
The following week Marshall faced Army, and Randy Moss’ astonishing 90-yard touchdown play that sealed the win for the Herd helped ease some of my anguish from the WVU loss. I remember sitting in The Radisson Hotel, watching the game on the big screen with a group of friends, when Moss caught a screen pass, juked twice past two Army players, hurdled over a diving tackler and stiff-armed a final defender before soaring down the field into the endzone. Today, scores of sports fans on YouTube call that play one of the greatest in college football history.
On the heels of the Army game the national media began mentioning Moss as a possible Heisman Trophy contender. I immediately recognized what a huge deal this was for the university and began plotting ways I could help rev up the hype machine. I began by purchasing six huge vinyl banners and hanging them in the stadium. One read “Randy Moss Heisman Watch” and listed his number of touchdowns, while another asked “Randy Moss for Heisman? Of Corso!” — a dig at ESPN’s Lee Corso, who downplayed Moss’ talent before the season began.
To help get fans at the stadium more involved, Huntington Quarterly sponsored a contest for the best “Moss for Heisman” sign. The winner was named at the last home game of the season and received a check for $500.
Finally, I contacted all the printers in Huntington and persuaded them to produce 30,000 “Moss for Heisman” signs. Our staff then manned the entrances at the stadium and handed them out to fans as they filed in for the Nov. 8 home game against Bowling Green. I envisioned 30,000 fans holding up the signs during the game — something I knew would be replayed on ESPN and other networks. Unfortunately, it began to rain hard right before kickoff. Instead of flashing the signs in front of television cameras, fans were holding them over their heads to shield themselves from the downpour. Watching Mother Nature destroy most of the 30,000 signs remains one of my greatest disappointments. A precious few signs survived the deluge that day and were shown on ESPN’s highlights during subsequent games.
After Marshall captured the MAC Championship title that December and earned a trip to a bowl game for the first time in 50 years, Moss was selected as one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy award. I somehow managed to procure a ticket to the ceremony in New York and was there when Moss slipped on his Oakley sunglasses before his live appearance on national television. While there, I got to speak with ESPN’s Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit as well as Heisman winner Charles Woodson. It was a day I will never forget.
So, you can see why that season will always rank as the greatest in my mind. It was a roller coaster run of highs and lows — the kind you can’t wait to ride again.
