Members of the Wichita State community gathered at Football Memorial ’70 to memorialize the plane crash that took the lives of more than 30 members of the university.

President John Bardo recognized the members of the accident.

“Even though those affected by the tragedy are scattered, we are one — at this time, at this place, on this day,” he said. 

On Oct. 2, 1970, a plane carrying members of the WSU football team, head athletic officials, and some fans, crashed into a Colorado mountainside while trying to cross the Continental Divide. Thirty-one passengers died.

WSU recognizes the crash with a memorial service held each year on the anniversary of the event.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Evan Pflugradt

Joseph Kleinsasser, director of news and media relations, reads the names of the people who died in the plane crash on Oct. 2, 1970. Twenty-nine died in the crash, and two died later at a hospital. There were nine survivors.