This is the latest Marshall “Man Cave” in the series. This room is courtesy of John Skeans, who has one of the nicest collections you will see. Here is what John had to say about his room:
The Marshall Love Started at a Young Age
My Marshall fandom began at an early age. I grew up in Huntington and began attending
Marshall football and basketball games in the late sixties with my Dad who was a huge Marshall
fan. He was a season ticket holder for 40 years and I attended the games with him up until the
time my wife and I left the Huntington area in 1988 after graduating from Marshall in 1984. We
were there for both the good and tough times. The plane crash; the historic wins against Xavier
and Bowling Green in 1971; Miami of Ohio in 1976; the historic first NCAA 1-AA playoff run of
1987 all the way through the Notre Dame win of last season. The great basketball teams with
Russell Lee, Mike D’Antoni, Stu Aberdeen, Bunny Gibson and Skip Henderson. A lot of great
memories.
The Collection Began With A Gift
My Marshall collection began in 1998 when my wife gifted me the 1998 panorama from the MAC
Championship Game and it took off from there leading to almost an addiction. I have a large
basement that is filled and overflowing with my Marshall pieces. My favorite pieces include an
actual Young Thundering Herd shirt/jersey from 1971 signed by McG, the director of We Are Marshall. I
actually had, and remember, the same jersey when I was a kid. A 1969 football program signed
by Ted Shoebridge, Rick Tolley and Bob Harris. An original Fairfield stadium street sign from Hal Greer
Boulevard and Randy Moss’ Heisman finalist jacket from the 1997 ceremony.
His Collection Feels Incomplete
I live in the Chicago area, so it’s a little tougher finding additions to the collection but have been fortunate that fellow
Marshall fans and players reach out to me on social media with items that may interest me. A
good part of the harder to find items have been a result of my friendship with Mark Gibson, who
is amazing at uncovering unusual items. My bucket list of items I hope to add one day are ticket
stubs from the Xavier game; the unused ticket from the OU game the week after the crash; and
items from the old Fairfield stadium.
As you can tell my Marshall fandom has been a big part of my life and it began 50+ years ago with my dad.
As you can see from the photos, John has quite the collection! If you want to showcase your room, reach out to me at tracehhs2012@hotmail.com. Until next time!
