HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- From the top of the knoll at the top of the northern most point of Spring Hill Cemetery you can see it, Marshall's campus and Edwards Stadium laid out in plain view.

Just a few yards away from the stunning view is a reminder of Marshall's football past. The Marshall memorial stands tall, displaying every name of every person who died in the plane crash on November 14, 1970.

Doc Holliday thought Wednesday night was the perfect night for a run, all the way from the parking lot of Edwards Stadium to the monument that personifies Marshall's greatest sorrow.

The coaching staff didn't tell the players where they were going, but about halfway down 20th street they came through the viaduct and the destination became clear.

"We didn't know what was going on until we got close and then everybody started talking to each other and was like, 'we going to the cemetery,' " defensive lineman Jeremiah Taylor said.

"Out of breath" and "breathless" had two different meanings after the 1.3 mile run, as the players soon realized they were on sacred ground. A painful part of Marshall's past was right in front of them.

"This was my first time here and this is a great experience for my teammates to come up here and experience this together," Senior Aaron Dobson said.

1970 Assistant Coach Red Dawson spoke to the team, connecting the past and the present, as they listened in silence.

"We start out when every kid gets here and we make them watch the movie so they understand it, but with these kids it was so long ago," Doc Holliday said. "I don't think until they get up here and actually see where the unknown players are buried and they see the monuments and they see it that they really understand it."

For most players, it was their first time visiting the monument at Spring Hill.