Nate Ruffin, a co-captain and defensive back for the 1970 Marshall University football team, missed the tragic chartered flight because he was nursing a severe arm injury that prevented him from traveling to the game against East Carolina. While he was originally slated to make the trip, coaching staff and logistical adjustments left him and several other injured players behind in Huntington. This twist of fate spared his life, after which he stepped forward courageously in the aftermath of the disaster to serve as the team's primary spokesperson, leader, and emotional anchor during a period of unimaginable national grief.