10 Things To Know About Mark Bingham

10 Things To Know About Mark Bingham

American hero Mark Bingham unfortunately passed away on September 11, 2001, at the age of just 31. He was openly gay, a rugby player, and an entrepreneur, but he is probably best remembered for his involvement in the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Bingham is thought to have fought back against the terrorists alongside a number of other passengers, stopping them from reaching their planned objective in Washington, D.C. Instead, the aircraft crashed into a Pennsylvanian field, killing everyone on board. In the wake of one of the worst days in American history, Bingham has become a symbol of resiliency and optimism thanks to his courage and altruism in the face of peril.

In this article on the 10 Things To Know About Mark Bingham we will let you know about this American hero including; his early years in California to his posthumous legacy as a role model and inspiration to countless people around the world. His story will still be told in many years to come.

1. He Was Raised By A Single Mother

The sole child of Alice Hoagland and Gerald Bingham, Mark Bingham was born in 1970. His parents got divorced when Mark was two years old. Before relocating to the San Jose region in 1983, Mark was raised by his mother and her family and spent his formative years in Miami, Florida and Southern California.

2. He Loved Playing Rugby

Rugby. Photo by Edgar Pimenta on Unsplash

Rugby was introduced to Bingham in high school, and he participated in rugby in college at University of California, Berkeley. He then played for the San Francisco Fog of the IGR and helped found the Gotham Knights of New York, another gay and open-minded team. The San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club is the region’s first openly homosexual rugby team. The Fog, a rugby club founded in 2000, aims to actively promote the participation of people of color, homosexual men, and other groups that are typically underrepresented in rugby.

We think everyone should be able to enjoy the fraternity and friendship that the game of rugby fosters. Players of any skill level, including people who have never played rugby or even an organized sport, are welcome to join. The club is also active in the neighborhood on a social and charitable level, and we encourage everyone to get involved, even if they don’t want to play.

3. He Thwarted Terrorists Efforts To Destroy The White House

September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

On the morning of September 11, 2001, four al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked United Airlines Flight 93, a domestic scheduled passenger flight, as part of the September 11 attacks. The plane was supposed to crash into a governmental facility in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, according to the hijackers.

The hijackers’ plan to crash the plane into a building in Washington, D.C., most likely the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House, was foiled by Bingham, Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick, who were among the passengers who came up with the plan to retake the plane from the hijackers. Bingham led the effort that caused the plane to crash into a field near Shanks Ville, Pennsylvania. Due to his bravery aboard United Flight 93 and his physically fit appearance, it was noticed that LGBT stereotypes had to be reevaluated.

4. He Was Openly Gay

Bingham, a huge rugby player who is 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) tall and weighs 225 pounds (102 kg), was openly gay. This evidenced from his active participation In playing rugby for the gay-welcoming San Francisco Fog RFC. Upon his death, he was survived by  his partner of six years, Paul Holm. In his honor, the yearly international rugby union competition known as the Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament (also known as the Bingham Cup) was created in 2002.

5. He Founded His Own Publish Relations Company

He founded his own public relations company, the Bingham Group, with locations in San Francisco and New York.  At the time he was meeting his death during the September 11, 2011 plane crash, Mark Bingham was opening a new office for his California-based public relations company on the eastern coast. The accomplished and daring businessman took many trips for business and pleasure, and, this was just one of the many that he took. It is also said that besides the business trip he was also attending a friend’s wedding.

6. He Was Decorated Posthumously

He was recognized and decorated after his death due to his efforts in bringing to light the issues of gay people and also for his bravery moves during the September. 2011 plane attack. At the 2002 ESPYs, he also received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award posthumously.

7. He Was Recognized As A Leader

Bingham, one of the heroes to emerge from America’s worst catastrophe, has come to represent optimism for the country’s homosexual community as a man for whom his sexual orientation didn’t matter when lives were at risk. He was a seasoned leader who spent the majority of his life in Northern California before relocating to New York just before the terrorist attacks. The Mark Bingham Leadership Fund provides scholarships to students interested in Cal, Chi Psi Fraternity, rugby, and those who possess qualities of teamwork, sociability, leadership and heroism.

8. The Bingham Cup Is Named After Him

Trophy. Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

The Bingham Cup, named after him, is held every two years and is regarded as the global championships of gay and inclusive rugby, is named in his honor. Bingham was a supporter of this movement. The Bingham Cup, which debuted in 2002, has grown to become one of the biggest amateur rugby competitions in the world. SportsPro traveled to Ottawa to attend the event this year in order to comprehend its significance to the LGBTQ+ community and to see how the Canadian capital responded to the occasion.

Although the occasion has grown into a weekend-long festival of speech and entertainment, its roots are in a brave gesture that resulted in sorrow. The competition is named in honor of Mark Bingham, a rugby player who perished during the terrorist events on September 11, 2001, while attempting to win back control of United Flight 93 from the hijackers with a group of other passengers. All those on board were killed when the jet crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, but thousands of more lives may have been saved because the catastrophe prevented the plane from reaching its intended destination.

9. His Heroics Were Later Recognized By The US Senate

Mark Bingham Memorial, St Matthew’s Chapel. Randal Oulton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During a memorial honoring San Francisco Bay Area attack victims on September 17, 2001, U.S. Senators John McCain and Barbara Boxer recognized Bingham and gave Paul Holm a folded American flag.

10. The Mark Bingham Award for Excellence Is In His Owner

The Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by Young Alumni was established in his honor by the California Alumni Association and the University of California Berkeley Foundation in 2005. The award’s objective, according to the institution, is to recognize “a young alumnus/a who graduated within the last 10 years and who has made a significant contribution to his/her community, country, or the world at large.”