Jim Marshall was so much more than the things that define him
The Vikings legend passed away at the age of 87 on Tuesday
By Matthew Coller
When folks memorialize Jim Marshall in the coming days, two things will come up pretty much every time his passing at the age of 87 is talked about: The fact that he was never elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the wrong-way run.
But Minnesotans know that he was so much more than that. He was one of the greatest players and leaders in NFL history.
A few years ago, Pro-Football Reference went back through old games to record every sack from the seasons before it became an official NFL stat in 1982. They found Marshall recorded 130.5 sacks in his career, which unofficially ranks him 22nd all-time and only 3.0 sacks behind Carl Eller. Beyond that, PFR has a catch-all stat similar to Wins Above Replacement in baseball called “Weighted Approximate Value.” By that metric, Marshall as the 14th greatest defensive lineman of all time, just ahead of recent HOF inductee Jared Allen.
The argument against Marshall has always been that he racked up those stats because he played for so long. That’s partly true but during his peak of 1962-1969, he racked up 77.5 sacks, the fourth most during that time span. Green Bay’s Willie Davis, who was third in sacks from ‘62-’69, is in the Hall of Fame. Chicago’s Doug Atkins, ranking one slot behind Marshall in sacks over those eight years, is also in the Hall of Fame.
There is always talk of Marshall only making the Pro Bowl twice during his career. At some point since the ‘60s and ‘70s, Hall of Fame voters should have figured out that Pro Bowl selections are just about the silliest way to judge a player. Even today with all the film, statistics and PFF grades that we have at our disposal, there are still nonsensical selections every year. How did the voters watch all of Marshall’s games and compare them to others back then? How did they evaluate his seasons when sacks weren’t even a stat? It doesn’t take anything more than common sense to figure out that the voters were already giving Carl Eller and Alan Page their vote and Marshall’s excellence got lost in their dominance.
While demonstrating Marshall’s all-time great status is easier than it used to be because of PFR’s research, there are parts of his resume that don’t get enough credit except from those in Minnesota. First, in a brutal sport where being available is worth its weight in gold, Marshall defined availability. It took a punter to surpass his record of 282 consecutive games, Brett Favre to pass his record of 270 starts and no defensive player in history has ever done either. Being the all-time iron man at a violent, physical position in an era known for its loose interpretations of the rules is a heck of a legacy.
NFL Films’ Steve Sabol once said of Marshall: “No player in the history of the game ever played harder, longer, than Jim Marshall.”
One thing that box scores can’t ever quantify is Marshall’s value as the heart and soul of the Purple People Eaters. The Vikings went to four Super Bowls and ranked as the NFL’s No. 1 defense in three straight seasons from ‘69-’71 with Marshall as their captain.
This is back in the days before teams had 14 captains and 236 coaches on staff. The leadership position was vital. You know who thought so? Bud Grant.
The all-time great coach said this of Marshall during his Ring of Honor ceremony:
“A lot of people ask, who was your best football player? As a coach you can’t go there,” Grant said. “So how do I describe Jim Marshall? He’s a special football player. He’s a special man. If it wasn’t for Jim Marshall, I wouldn’t be here today. I love Jim Marshall.”
In an NFL Films feature about Marshall, Grant said this:
“Jim Marshall was a special kind of person. I always called him Mr. Marshall. We always had a good relationship. He was our captain as long as he was here. He was exactly what a captain should be. I would say, ‘OK guys, let’s do this,’ and Jim Marshall would be the first in line.”
The NFL Films voiceover on Marshall’s career and fascinating personality and run-ins with near-death experiences off the field perfectly captured how he is remembered in Minnesota.
“In Minnesota, there once was a player to whom many generations of Vikings fans looked upon as being immortal. He was a defensive end and philosopher named Jim Marshall.”
Isn’t it better to be most appreciated by those who know you best?
Marshall made the 50 Greatest Vikings list. He was part of the 25th anniversary team, the 40th anniversary team and he will be part of the 100th anniversary team someday. He is in the Ring of Honor and his No. 70 is retired. When any defensive lineman becomes a Viking, he begins his career in Minnesota aiming to recreate any shred of Marshall’s career. Again, a heck of a legacy.
Marshall remained in Minnesota and started a foundation called “The Link” with teammate Oscar Reed that worked to support youth dealing with poverty and homelessness. In 2020, the Vikings’ player-led social justice committee gave The Link a $20,000 donation. That’s a heck of a legacy, too.
Now about that play. In a game against the 49ers in 1965, Marshall recovered a fumble and ran it into the wrong end zone for a safety. It’s one of the all-time bloopers in sports and it deserves to be. The broadcast call, teammates trying to run him down, his celebration and then realization that it was his own end zone. It’s objectively very funny and unfathomable that it would happen to such a great player. But it feels like the blooper was always held against him as a career demerit, rather than just an oddball thing. The Vikings won that game, by the way, thanks to a Marshall forced fumble that Eller returned for a touchdown.
There is a saying in football that if you play long enough you will get got. The best NBA players get dunked on and airball shots. The best baseball players drop pop-ups. That’s sports. For whatever reason, fans and analysts sometimes revel in mistakes more than successes.
The play that should be talked about with Marshall was his interception and pitch to Alan Page for a touchdown in the snow against the Detroit Lions. It was everything Purple People Eaters football was: Snow, mud and the defensive line playing together to dominate.
For Marshall’s last game, fans made a huge banner that said “Thanks Jim.” When he walked off the field, he told the crowd: “I just hope I’ve given you as many thrills as you fans have given me.”
His legacy might not include the Hall of Fame but it sure included a lot of thrills. Vikings fans from that era will always properly appreciate that and when fans in the future learn the story of this franchise, Marshall’s name will be one of the first mentioned.
Heck of a legacy, Jim. Heck of a legacy.
He was a real man and a true Viking. Rest in Power Mr. Marshall.
What an amazing video at the end. Thank you!