MARSHALL UNIVERSITY M CLUB
P.O. Box 1360 Huntington, WV 25715 Telephone: 304/696-3978 Fax:304/696-2325 glambros@marshall.edu
COMPOSITION
The Marshall University M Club is made up of former players, coaches, cheerleaders, managers and trainers of all athletic teams of the University. Winning a letter is not a prerequisite. The Club welcomes all who participated in the various athletic programs.
Membership falls into two classifications. Those who pay the minimum $30 dollar annual dues or who pay $500 in lifetime dues are considered active members. Non-dues paying members are considered inactive, but all are teammates and Club members. There are about 5000 former Marshall athletic participants who make up the Club, although a minority are paid members. Locating members and communicating with them limits active membership .
ORIGINS OF THE CLUB
In the somewhat distant past, a varsity club existed at Marshall called the M Club, but the idea of a club of former athletic participants was brought to Marshall by Coach Bob Pruett when he came home about 10 years ago. He had seen similar programs at other schools and believed one could be established here. Ralph May was asked to initiate the Club and served as the founder as well as its president for its first five years. George Lambros then assumed responsibility and has served as president for the most recent five years. Further leadership and oversight is provided by a representative Board of Directors. The Club has been blessed by effective and dedicated leadership.
MISSION AND GOALS OF THE M CLUB
The mission is simple; "Athletes helping Athletes." That statement is intended to encompass support for former, current and future Marshall athletes. Several goals directed at achieving that mission have been met, but we continue to find new ones to challenge us.
The M Club seeks to assist former athletes by reacquainting them with Marshall. For example, the Club sponsors team reunion weekends, awards M Club Blankets to individuals and designates an M Club Member of the Year to recognize an athlete who represents the citizen we hope all present, future and former athletes become. At all home football games, the M Club sponsors a tailgate party in a Pavilion it has built adjacent to the Stadium. It serves as a place where members and their guests can congregate and meet old and new friends who share the experience of having been an athletic participant at Marshall.
Located near the Pavilion is the Jimmy and Ralph May M Club Wall of Fame containing bricks with the names of all who lost their lives on the plane crash and all others who wish to be memorialized with a brick with their names, sports and years of participation noted on the brick. The Wall, although located near the Stadium, is for all former Marshall athletic participants. We continue to work to include more activities for former Olympic sports' participants in our plans, as well as for former football and basketball athletes.
The M Club is limited by rules in what it can do for current athletes. We do meet with graduating seniors and provide them with one year's free membership. Information is now being collected from members related to their profession or employment that will enable a database to be developed. Graduating athletes will be able to contact and gain insight on various fields they may wish to pursue from former Marshall athletes who have experience and possible contacts to help them.
Future athletes will benefit from an endowed athletic scholarship the M Club has committed itself to finance. Currently the commitment is $200,000, but we eventually expect to have the largest athletic scholarship endowment at Marshall. The endowment is financed by direct contributions made by members and through the proceeds of the golf tournaments sponsored by the M Club. We now have a plaque prepared to record members who contribute $1000, $5,000 and $10,000 to the fund. There is also a plan for members to pay for their contributions over a period of time. We feel that no one is more appropriate to hold the largest endowment than we whose schooling and the subsequent opportunities that were facilitated partly or totally by athletic scholarships.
THE FUTURE
The future of the M Club is limited only by our commitment, imagination and support. We solicit ideas, memberships and financing from members to attack those limitations. If you are eligible, please join us. The M Club holds much potential to further carry out the mission of "Athletes helping Athletes."
