"WE ARE MARSHALL"
Cathy and Bill had the pleasure of meeting Coach Jack Lengyel at the office of KKNT Radio in Scottsdale, Arizona this Christmas season. Yes, the coach that Hollywood made a movie about called "We are
Marshall " in 2006.
Jack was portrayed by the handsome actor Matthew McConaughey in the film. The story is about the tragic loss of almost the entire Marshall University Football team; in an airplane crash back in l970. The school and the town were devastated by the loss of their team, several parents, and coaches.
One of the football players, who was not on the plane, decided to get the University behind him to put a new football team together to honor his fallen teammates. However, the University President was unable to hire a coach to reconstruct the team. Not until Jack Lengyel asked for the job, after reading about the tragic story in the newspaper, did the town and University have a purpose again.
Jack told Two for the Road that he didn't dress as wild as McConaughey did in the movie, and he wasn't as
quirky as they portrayed him.
If you get to view the movie, and then meet Jack, you will see that outgoing personality, warm smile and his ability to make you feel like you're the only person in the room when he is talking. A genuine nice family man, who lives in Arizona.
What a wonderful gift we received in meeting Jack this season.
This blog entry may have nothing to do with the automotive industry, but it does have to do with rebuilding; and we know how that relates to the auto manufacturers. Maybe Mullaly and Lutz should watch the movie, maybe they can aspire to be a sort of Lengyel? Let's hope so.
