FATHER'S DAY turned out to be a sad one for Marshall football fans everywhere, after the untimely death of Johnathan Goddard from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident in northern Florida.

The defensive end was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Route 16 in Clay County, Fla., not far from his hometown of Jacksonville. That occurred at about 7:40 p.m. Saturday, and he was pronounced dead at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday at Shands Medical Center in Jacksonville.

His life tragically ended at 27. Worse yet, he left behind at least two children, an 8-year-old daughter and a son approaching his fifth birthday.

"This is a terrible loss for our football family and our thoughts and prayers are with the Goddard family," said MU coach Mark Snyder.

He was a lot of fun to cover, even if he was soft-spoken and didn't crack a smile very often, at least around the gridiron. But he made good copy, and he put plenty of smiles on the faces of Thundering Herd fans.

Goddard lived a little on the edge, and it showed early in his sophomore season of 2002. He exited the spring on the second string, wore a standing foot cast in mid-August and had to overtake Marcus Hairston for his starting spot.

He did so, and was named the team's top defensive player in the first game that season, but his intensity got him in trouble. He celebrated too much in the first Marshall-Central Florida game, then committed a personal foul in each of the next six games.

He got that cleaned up and the next season stamped his imprint in the MU history books at Kansas State. His 84-yard return of an intercepted lateral turned a potential 14-0 deficit into a 7-7 tie and helped the Herd to an upset of the sixth-ranked Wildcats.

And remember, he was hobbling with a painful-looking groin injury. If you didn't know he was a warrior before that game, you were convinced beyond doubt after Marshall won 27-20.

And yes, sometimes he was too much of a warrior. He was involved in a fracas between Marshall players and a genius from the Ohio State team at a bar across the street from Joan C. Edwards Stadium, and

he was accused of shoving a police officer. Authorities let the charge die, but Goddard was suspended for the first half of Marshall's opener with Troy.

He knew he let the team down and was determined to make amends. He didn't say that as much verbally as he did with his play - right from the first snap in the second half against the Trojans, he dominated. In MU's last game against hated Miami (Ohio), he and fellow end Jamus Martin combined for six sacks and two seized fumbles.

With 16 sacks and 28 tackles for loss that year, he became Marshall's first All-American since Randy Moss, with no others coming since. It's a shame his teammates failed him, as the Herd was an underachieving 6-6 despite his efforts.

And it's a shame his pro career was so short - he was drafted by the Lions and played one game for the Colts, spending that team's Super Bowl season on injured reserve. He had a one-game stint early this month for the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League, not seeing action.

Nonetheless, he deserves serious consideration for immediate posthumous induction into Marshall's Hall of Fame, waiving the rest of his waiting period. His impact was that substantial.

The defensive end was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Route 16 in Clay County, Fla., not far from his hometown of Jacksonville. That occurred at about 7:40 p.m. Saturday, and he was pronounced dead at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday at Shands Medical Center in Jacksonville.

His life tragically ended at 27. Worse yet, he left behind at least two children, an 8-year-old daughter and a son approaching his fifth birthday.

"This is a terrible loss for our football family and our thoughts and prayers are with the Goddard family," said MU coach Mark Snyder.

He was a lot of fun to cover, even if he was soft-spoken and didn't crack a smile very often, at least around the gridiron. But he made good copy, and he put plenty of smiles on the faces of Thundering Herd fans.

Goddard lived a little on the edge, and it showed early in his sophomore season of 2002. He exited the spring on the second string, wore a standing foot cast in mid-August and had to overtake Marcus Hairston for his starting spot.

He did so, and was named the team's top defensive player in the first game that season, but his intensity got him in trouble. He celebrated too much in the first Marshall-Central Florida game, then committed a personal foul in each of the next six games.

He got that cleaned up and the next season stamped his imprint in the MU history books at Kansas State. His 84-yard return of an intercepted lateral turned a potential 14-0 deficit into a 7-7 tie and helped the Herd to an upset of the sixth-ranked Wildcats.

And remember, he was hobbling with a painful-looking groin injury. If you didn't know he was a warrior before that game, you were convinced beyond doubt after Marshall won 27-20.

And yes, sometimes he was too much of a warrior. He was involved in a fracas between Marshall players and a genius from the Ohio State team at a bar across the street from Joan C. Edwards Stadium, and

he was accused of shoving a police officer. Authorities let the charge die, but Goddard was suspended for the first half of Marshall's opener with Troy.

He knew he let the team down and was determined to make amends. He didn't say that as much verbally as he did with his play - right from the first snap in the second half against the Trojans, he dominated. In MU's last game against hated Miami (Ohio), he and fellow end Jamus Martin combined for six sacks and two seized fumbles.

With 16 sacks and 28 tackles for loss that year, he became Marshall's first All-American since Randy Moss, with no others coming since. It's a shame his teammates failed him, as the Herd was an underachieving 6-6 despite his efforts.

And it's a shame his pro career was so short - he was drafted by the Lions and played one game for the Colts, spending that team's Super Bowl season on injured reserve. He had a one-game stint early this month for the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League, not seeing action.

Nonetheless, he deserves serious consideration for immediate posthumous induction into Marshall's Hall of Fame, waiving the rest of his waiting period. His impact was that substantial.

As you may have seen Sunday, I had a lengthy chat with Bob Marcum, Marshall's athletic director, and you haven't seen all the topics discussed just yet.

We touched briefly on Conference USA expansion, which you shouldn't hold your breath over. I have heard East Carolina would love to expand the league's eastern wing to set the table for a future breakaway, and such an idea isn't without merit. Won't happen anytime soon, but keep the thought tucked away.

Of course, ECU would love for an angel to fall out of the sky toting a Big East invitation. So would Central Florida, Memphis and even Marshall, as you probably know.

Marcum has long predicted another realignment. In our conversation last week, he said he still sees the day the Big East expands to 12 teams in football.

As well as he reads the tea leaves in collegiate sports, I have to bet against this one. Somehow, someway, the Big East has emerged as the winner in the 2005 realignment earthquake - and shoot, it may not be close.

To me, the numbers have held the key. The 16-team league has not been too unwieldy, and I don't think it will split. Why not? I figure any breakaway faction would lose TV money and prestige, the reverse of what happened when the Mountain West schools left the Western Athletic Conference.

The eight-team football league has been an asset, not a liability. While I keep hearing that 12 is the magic number, I think Big East schools have figured out that, numerically, they have the best shot to land in a BCS bowl. I know one school has figured that out, at least.

Here's what I could see in the next five to 10 years: DePaul or a similar basketball school decides to quit banging its head against the Big East wall and finds a safer neighborhood. Then Mike Tranghese's successor lobs a speed-dial call to the 901 area code. The next thing you know, John Calipari, Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins are reunited in conference play.

That would give the Big East nine in football, which I believe is the perfect number. And basketball would be even more of a hoot with Memphis among its 16. And Conference USA basketball tournaments would become interesting again.

Interesting note from Marshall ticket director Matt Monroe: Online sales have accounted for about 25 percent of season-ticket sales so far. Single-game sales on the Internet have gone about 30 percent.

Those levels figure to increase, but we are a tad set in our ways in these parts. The entire ticketing industry - sports, concerts and the like - sells about 50 percent online these days, and that is expected to swell to about 60 percent.

To contact staff writer Doug Smock, send e-mail to dougsm...@wvgazette.com or call 348-5130.