HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Former Marshall University football captain Jess Smith was tabbed as keynote speaker for the Marshall Spring Fountain Ceremony April 12.
Smith captained the 1974 Young Thundering Herd, which went 1-10, beating Akron 17-7 Sept. 21 at Fairfield Stadium.
The ceremony, during which the fountain at the Marshall Memorial Student Center is turned on until Nov. 14, is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. April 12. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a prelude to the 3 p.m. spring football game at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Anyone planning to attend the ceremony may park in the West Lot at the football stadium.
The lot will open at 9 a.m. Parking costs $20 per vehicle.
Smith came to Marshall from Fairmont, West Virginia, where he played at Barrackville High School. Smith was the high schoolÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s valedictorian in 1971.
The offensive lineman joined Allen Meadows as a Marshall captain in 1974, helping the program rebuild from the 1970 plane crash that killed all 75 people on board, including most of the varsity football team.
After graduating from Marshall in 1975 with a bachelorÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s in political science/history, Smith earned his masterÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s from West Virginia University in 1979.
Smith worked for Monongahela Power, from which he retired in 2003.
