We Are Marshall (2006)

When a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team's new coach and his surviving players try to keep the football program alive.

Director:

McG

Writers:

Jamie Linden (screenplay), Cory Helms (story)

Stars:

Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew McConaughey	...	Jack Lengyel
Matthew Fox	...	Red Dawson
Anthony Mackie	...	Nate Ruffin
David Strathairn	...	President Dedmon
Ian McShane	...	Paul Griffen
Kate Mara	...	Annie Cantrell
January Jones	...	Carole Dawson
Kimberly Williams-Paisley	...	Sandy Lengyel
Arlen Escarpeta	...	Reggie Oliver
Brian Geraghty	...	Tom Bogdan
Tommy Cresswell	...	Gene Morehouse
Christian Kanupke	...	Young Keith Morehouse
Nina Jones	...	Mrs. Morehouse
Kevin Atkins	...	George Olson
Mark Patton	...	Bill James

Storyline

In November, 1970, virtually the entire football team and coaches of Marshall University (Huntington, W.V.) die in a plane crash. That spring, led by Nate Ruffin, a player who was ill and missed the fatal flight, students rally to convince the board of governors to play the 1971 season. The college president, Don Dedman, must find a coach, who then must find players. They petition the NCAA to allow freshmen to play, and coach Jack Lengyel motivates and leads young players at the same time that he reexamines the Lombardi creed that winning is the only thing. The father and the fiancée of a player who died find strength to move on. Can Marshall win even one game in 1971?

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Plot Keywords:

football | university | coach | marshall university | football team | 

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Taglines:

Life is like football: it knocks you down, then expects you to get back up...and play till the whistle blows.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for emotional thematic material, a crash scene, and mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Marshall University Football Project

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,582,508, 24 December 2006

Gross USA:

$43,545,364

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Thunder Road Pictures, Legendary Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film premiered in Huntington, WV, on December 12, 2006, followed by a Hollywood premiere on December 14. Both used a green carpet, the Marshall University school color, instead of the traditional red. Stars in attendance included: Basil Iwanyk, director McG, writer Jamie Linden, Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie, Arlen Escarpeta, Kate Mara, and Dalton Polston. Real-life coaches Jack Lengyel and Red Dawson also attended.

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Goofs

Tight Kevlar snare heads can be heard in the soundtrack. They weren't invented until the late 1980s.

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Quotes

President Dedmon: [after receiving the game ball from coach Lengyel] I'm not a player.
Jack Lengyel: We are Marshall. We'll take anybody.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, not even a title.

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Connections

Referenced in How I Met Your Mother: Lucky Penny (2007)

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Soundtracks

Peace Train
Written by Cat Stevens (as Yusuf Islam)
Performed by Cat Stevens
Courtesy of Universal-Island Records Ltd.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

I loved this movie

I hate football, but I loved this movie! I went to see it because Nate Ruffin was my Supervisor for several years and was the most supportive, understanding human being I've ever known. He often told anyone who would listen how his life took a downward spiral after the crash because he felt so guilty for surviving. But he got his life together and decided the best way he could honor his former teammates was to be an inspiration to others, and he was more than that! Anthony Mackie portrayed Nate wonderfully and caught his spirit of leadership and caring! Nate knew from experience what hardship could do to a person's life and used his story to help many of us through major upheavals in our lives.

The movie matched much of what Nate told us throughout the years, and I think he would be ecstatic that the story was finally told and told this well!