# Jack Lengyel
**Jack Lengyel** is an American college athletics administrator and former football coach who served as head coach at [Marshall University](https://www.edgepedia.org/marshall-university) from 1971 to 1974, rebuilding the football program after the November 14, 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people, including 37 players and five coaches[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289) • [2](https://herdzone.com/documents/download/2018/6/13/FBhistory.pdf). He later became Director of Athletics at Fresno State, Missouri, and the [United States Naval Academy](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-naval-academy), and he was portrayed by [Matthew McConaughey](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-mcconaughey) in the 2006 film *We Are Marshall*[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289). Marshall inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Marshall tenure | Head coach 1971–1974, the program's first teams after the 1970 crash, known as the "Young" Thundering Herd[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289) |
| Record | 9 wins, 33 losses over 42 games (.214): 2-8 in 1971, 2-8 in 1972, 4-7 in 1973, 1-10 in 1974[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/jack-lengyel-1.html) |
| Signature wins | 15-13 over Xavier on a last-second touchdown, September 25, 1971, in the first home game after the crash; 12-10 over Don Nehlen's Bowling Green at Homecoming that season[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289) |
| NCAA exception | Marshall petitioned the NCAA to allow freshmen to play and became the only school in the nation permitted to field true freshmen in 1971[2](https://herdzone.com/documents/download/2018/6/13/FBhistory.pdf) • [4](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community) |
| Administrative career | Director of Athletics at Fresno State, Missouri (from 1980), and Navy (27th athletic director, named July 1988)[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289) • [5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1988/07/14/navy-puts-lengyel-in-charge/ae1af38a-12d5-4efa-aa13-1eb39e9f0dd8/) |
| Film portrayal | Matthew McConaughey played him in *We Are Marshall*, which premiered nationwide on December 22, 2006[6](https://www.marshall.edu/movie/) |
| Hall of Fame | Inducted into the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289) |
## Taking the Marshall job
The crash on November 14, 1970, near [Huntington, West Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/huntington-west-virginia), killed all 75 people aboard a Southern Airways jet returning the team from a game at East Carolina[2](https://herdzone.com/documents/download/2018/6/13/FBhistory.pdf). Marshall canceled its 1970 season finale against Ohio over the objections of surviving players, and there was talk of scrapping football altogether[4](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community). The university first hired [Georgia Tech](https://www.edgepedia.org/georgia-tech) assistant coach Dick Bestwick to replace head coach Rick Tolley, who had died in the crash, but Bestwick stayed only a week before returning to his old job[4](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community).
Lengyel was then the head football and head lacrosse coach at the [College of Wooster](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-of-wooster), a Division III school in Ohio, and had no previous connection to Marshall[7](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/40th-anniversary-interview-with-jack-lengyel) • [4](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community). He had called to volunteer his services after hearing the news of the crash while watching television at his home, and Marshall introduced the little-known Wooster coach as its new head coach around St. Patrick's Day 1971[4](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community) • [8](https://assets.espn.go.com/ncf/s/2000/1113/875842.html). "I'm sure I was their last choice," Lengyel later said[4](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community).
## Rebuilding the Young Thundering Herd
To field a team at all, Marshall petitioned the NCAA for an exception allowing freshmen to play, and the 1971 squad became forever known as the "The Young Thundering Herd"[2](https://herdzone.com/documents/download/2018/6/13/FBhistory.pdf). Marshall was the only school in the nation allowed to play true freshmen that season[4](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community).
The defining moment came on September 25, 1971, when Marshall beat Xavier 15-13 on a last-second touchdown in its first home game after the crash[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289). The decisive field goal was kicked by Blake Smith, a soccer player with no previous football experience[4](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community). Later that season Marshall upset heavily favored Bowling Green, coached by Don Nehlen, 12-10 at [Homecoming](https://www.edgepedia.org/homecoming), and the team finished 2-8[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289) • [2](https://herdzone.com/documents/download/2018/6/13/FBhistory.pdf).
Over four seasons Lengyel's teams won nine games against 33 losses[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/jack-lengyel-1.html). His best season was 1973, at 4-7, and his last was 1-10 in 1974[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/jack-lengyel-1.html). Contemporaries judged that what mattered more than the wins was that Marshall football had a team at all[7](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/40th-anniversary-interview-with-jack-lengyel). President [Richard Nixon](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-nixon) sent a letter to Lengyel, his staff, and the team dated September 7, 1971, summing up the feelings of many Americans[9](https://imagesarizona.com/jack-lengyel-he-is-marshall/).
## Administrative career
After leaving Huntington, Lengyel moved into athletic administration, serving as Director of Athletics at Fresno State, then Missouri from 1980, and then the [Naval Academy](https://www.edgepedia.org/naval-academy), which named him its 27th athletic director in July 1988[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289) • [5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1988/07/14/navy-puts-lengyel-in-charge/ae1af38a-12d5-4efa-aa13-1eb39e9f0dd8/). His coaching career overall spanned 18 years at all three NCAA levels, and he was a head coach in football, lacrosse, baseball, wrestling, and swimming, with staff positions at Akron, Heidelberg, Cornell, Wooster, Marshall, and Louisville[10](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/conferenceusa.com/documents/2019/7/25/2001_GMAC_Bowl_Marshall_vs_East_Carolina.pdf).
## We Are Marshall and later recognition
The 2006 Warner Bros. film *We Are Marshall*, directed by McG, recounts Lengyel's rebuilding effort, with Matthew McConaughey in the lead role and [Matthew Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-fox) as assistant coach Red Dawson[6](https://www.marshall.edu/movie/). The film premiered nationwide on December 22, 2006, and was filmed in Huntington and other locations[6](https://www.marshall.edu/movie/).
The portrayal took liberties. McConaughey's Lengyel is eccentric and loud, while the real Lengyel was described as calm, low-key, and rarely raising his deep voice[11](https://thegruelingtruth.com/college-football/we-are-marshall-what-was-true-and-what-was-not/). The film's closing narration states that Lengyel "is now in the College Football Hall of Fame," but he was never inducted, though he received an award[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758794/goofs/?item=gf0856561). Lengyel himself attended a reunion tailgating party for the film's production and praised the realistic recreation of the stadium[13](https://thecinemaholic.com/is-we-are-marshall-based-on-a-true-story/). Marshall inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022[1](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289).
## References
1. [Jack Lengyel (2022) – Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame, Marshall University Athletics](https://herdzone.com/honors/marshall-athletics-hall-of-fame/jack-lengyel/289)
2. [Marshall Football History, 2008 Football Guide (Growth, Tragedy & Rebuilding)](https://herdzone.com/documents/download/2018/6/13/FBhistory.pdf)
3. [Jack Lengyel College Coaching Records, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/jack-lengyel-1.html)
4. [Reconstructing a team and a community, HerdNation (Rivals)](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/reconstructing-a-team-and-a-community)
5. [Navy Puts Lengyel in Charge, The Washington Post (July 14, 1988)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1988/07/14/navy-puts-lengyel-in-charge/ae1af38a-12d5-4efa-aa13-1eb39e9f0dd8/)
6. [We Are Marshall: The Movie, Marshall University](https://www.marshall.edu/movie/)
7. [40th Anniversary: Interview with Jack Lengyel, HerdNation (Rivals)](https://marshall.rivals.com/news/40th-anniversary-interview-with-jack-lengyel)
8. [Lengyel starts Herd on long road back, ESPN.com](https://assets.espn.go.com/ncf/s/2000/1113/875842.html)
9. [Jack Lengyel: He is Marshall, Images Arizona](https://imagesarizona.com/jack-lengyel-he-is-marshall/)
10. [2001 GMAC Bowl program, Conference USA](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/conferenceusa.com/documents/2019/7/25/2001_GMAC_Bowl_Marshall_vs_East_Carolina.pdf)
11. [We Are Marshall: What was true and what was not?, The Grueling Truth](https://thegruelingtruth.com/college-football/we-are-marshall-what-was-true-and-what-was-not/)
12. [We Are Marshall (2006) – Goofs, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758794/goofs/?item=gf0856561)
13. [Is We Are Marshall a True Story?, The Cinemaholic](https://thecinemaholic.com/is-we-are-marshall-based-on-a-true-story/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › NFL head coaches › Late 20th century head coaches*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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