Thousands Gather to Send Off Marshall Team to WVU

Friday, September 2, 2011 - 21:27 by Chris Spencer, HNN Photographer

HUNTINGTON, WV (HNN) -  The HerdFest at Pullman Square on Thursday night was held to kick off the Marshall 2011 football season with a pep rally lacking only one ingredient.     On Sunday (Sept. 4) Marshall travels to Morgantown, WV to take on West Virginia University.     

A good crowd many dressed in green,  were enjoying the  music from Jabberwocky and Parrots of the Caribbean.   Enthusiastic Marshall cheerleaders were leading cheers and getting the crowd cheering.



Games like limbo were being played giving children an opportunity.   There was face painting and green and white beach balls being tossed around.  This was a good atmosphere for a Marshall pep rally.  

The Marshall University Alumni Association and the Marshall University Lewis College of Business were there greeting friends and talking to alumni.     

The only ingredient lacking was there were no Marshall football coaches, players or an athletic administration official to speak to the thousands that came to the pep rally.   Since Marshall has been holding pep rallies in recent years. this may have been the first time this has happened.

A check with one of the event organizers indicated that no one from the Marshall football team,  coaching staff or athletic administration was officially scheduled to speak at the pep rally.

Marshall did pick up a new football fan in Dave Larson.   Larson  was at Pullman Square waiting for a 2:30 AM bus to start his long ten day journey back to California.    Larson from West Hamlin had come back to visit his mother that was recuperating from an accident.

Larson enjoyed the music and thought it was a nice community event to support the football team. 

The  Dutch Miller Summer Concert Series  concluded last week and the HerdFest pep rally ended the summer concerts on Thursday evening at Pullman Square.   The free Thursday night concerts were popular drawing thousands of people over the summer to Pullman Square.

Radio station WDGG-FM 93.FM  the Dawg was one of the main sponsors of the 
free summer concerts and HerdFest.   Radio announcer Chuck Black said they might come back with an event in the fall.