If there were a blueprint with which to take a Division I-AA football power and make it an overwhelming success on the big-time I-A level, Marshall would be it.

	Marshall's Byron Leftwich is one of the best QBs in the country.

There was a time when the first thing people would think when they heard Marshall football was the school's infamous 1970 plane crash. But mention the Thundering Herd to someone today and something else comes to mind: Randy Moss. Chad Pennington. Forest Green. And overwhelming success.

In the 1990s, no other Division I football team has won more games. After winning the I-AA national championship in 1992 and '96, Marshall moved up to Division I-A in 1997 and barely skipped a beat, finishing 10-3.

The 10 victories were the most for any team in its first season of Division I-A football. That inaugural season also saw a Mid-American Conference championship and a trip to the Motor City Bowl, the school's first postseason bowl game in 50 years.

Marshall followed up its first-year success with three more MAC titles and three more appearances in the Motor City Bowl, each of which they have won. In 1999, it's third season in Division I-A, Marshall finished 13-0 and ranked No. 10 in The Associated Press' final poll.

At that point, people started to pay attention. Despite suffering through the worst sports-related air disaster in U.S. history, the 1970 crash that killed 75 people, including 37 players and five coaches, the Thundering Herd had rebuilt itself into one of the most consistently successful programs in the country.

"I gotta be honest, my early years in high school, I didn't know much about Marshall or the MAC," said Yancey Satterwhite, a junior defensive back from Tupelo, Miss. "But then there was Randy Moss. Then the Motor City Bowl on national TV. And then you come up to a visit and the guys flash around those championship rings. There isn't anybody in the world who wouldn't want to be a part of it."

Marshall players, coaches and administrators attribute the school's instant success in Division I-A to a host of factors. For one, Marshall already had established a winning tradition when it made the jump from I-AA. The Thundering Herd hadn't had a losing season since 1983. And not only had they won a pair of I-AA titles, they also finished as the runner-up four other times since 1987.

The snowball effect has led to greater visibility, better recruiting opportunities and yet more on-field success. The fact that Moss and Pennington were both finalists for the Heisman Trophy hasn't hurt either.

	By the numbers
	Requirements	Proposal	Marshall
	Football scholarships	76.5	81
	Home games vs. I-A opp.	5	6
	Avg. home attendance	15,000	25,455
	Total varsity sports	16	16
	Minimum for men/women	6/8	8/8
	Total athletic scholarships	200	218
	Scholarship budget	$4 million	$3.13 million

"A lot of people make the move that couldn't even get to the finals of I-AA," said Bob Pruett, a Marshall grad who returned to his alma matter as head coach in 1996. "We played at the top of I-AA for basically six straight years.

"Despite what others might say, if you are a top I-AA program year in and year out, you're not at the bottom of I-A. You're more likely in the middle. You can compete against I-A teams. We've proven that."

Joining the MAC in its first year on the I-A level also gave a big boost to Marshall's chances for success. Most schools that make the jump spend a few seasons as an independent, building their own schedules while searching for a conference home. Marshall had been a member of the MAC from 1953 until 1968, when 144 alleged NCAA violations led to its indefinite expulsion from the conference.

In addition, Marshall had the overwhelming financial support of the university as well as fan support from the community. Each year, Marshall was among the I-AA leaders in attendance, averaging some 20,000 fans a game. Today, that number is near 28,000.

"I think this is the best place in the world to play college football," said quarterback Byron Leftwich, the 2001 MAC Offensive Player of the Year. "We might not get the 80 or 90 thousand that you see at some larger schools, but our 30 are gonna sound like 90."

Marshall isn't exempt from the problems that face many smaller I-A schools. They still have to play big-money road games in an effort to balance the budget. But unlike most of their mid-major counterparts, Marshall plays those games with the intention of winning.

The Herd weren't so lucky this past season, falling to Florida, 49-14, in their season-opener. Previously, though, they've beaten both Clemson and South Carolina on the road.

"Other schools don't feel they can go in there and compete," Satterwhite said. "We feel that not only can we compete, but we're going to win the football game. Florida might have been a little different, but we feel as though we can win those games."

Marshall has scheduled road games at Tennessee in 2003, 2006 and 2010. But in 2009, the Vols will travel to Huntington, W.V. It is one of the few times that a member of college football's upper crust will play a nonconference road game against a mid-major. Not only does that speak volumes to how far Marshall has come since the plane crash, but it also could open the door for other top-notch teams to play at mid-major locations.

"We want to play people at that level," Marshall athletics director Lance West said. "But it took some time. You have to walk before you can run. But now, those games really show our fans and our institution where we want to be. It helps us identify where our passion is at the highest level."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn.com.