Jim Marshall (defensive end)

For other people named Jim Marshall, see Jim Marshall (disambiguation).

Jim Marshall (born December 30, 1937 Danville, Kentucky) played college football at Ohio State University. He left school before his senior year, and played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was then drafted in the 4th round of the 1960 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. Marshall played the 1960 season with the Browns. He played from 1961 to 1979 with the Minnesota Vikings. He played in 282 consecutive games at defensive end (including an NFL record 270 consecutive starts), a National Football League record at the time. It still stands as a record for a defensive end.

He played in Pro Bowls after the 1968 and 1969 NFL seasons. He recovered 29 fumbles, an NFL record. He was a member of the Vikings' famous "Purple People Eaters", and was the final player from Minnesota's initial expansion team of 1961 to retire.

Marshall was involved in an embarrassing professional moment on October 25, 1964. In a game against the San Francisco 49ers, Marshall recovered a fumble, but ran 66 yards with it the wrong way, into his own end zone. Thinking that he had scored a touchdown for the Vikings, Marshall then threw the ball away in celebration. The ball landed out of bounds, resulting in a safety for the 49ers. Fortunately for Marshall, his Vikings won the game 27-22, in part because of a key sack and fumble he forced after his miscue. Marshall later received a telephone call from Roy Riegels, who had run the wrong way for a safety in the 1929 Rose Bowl that his University of California team lost, 8-7.

External links

• Facts, Stories and Accomplishments of Jim Marshall
• Yesterday's News 1971 interview with Marshall after he survived blizzard that killed fellow snowmobiler
• Old Indestructible, Jim Marshall of the Vikings, retires after 302 straight games Sports Illustrated - Dec. 24 - 31, 1979