Rest In Peace Captain

“He was the heart and soul of the Minnesota Vikings.”

                            -Vikings Hall of Fame Defensive Tackle Alan Page

“When things were the worst is when he presented himself as the best.”

                           -Vikings Hall of Fame Tackle Ron Yary

“No player in the history of the game ever played harder, longer than Jim Marshall”

                           -NFL Films Steve Sabol

“We had the Purple People Eaters. They were the foundation of who we are. The leader of the band was Jim Marshall.”

                           -Vikings Hall of Fame Quarterback Fran Tarkenton

“Jim Marshall was Special.”

                           -Vikings Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant

The long, full life of Jim Marshall has come to an end. He slapped away death several times during his life. At 87, he decided it was time to finally rest. 

As a California kid in the early 1970s, I fell for a football team in Minnesota. I was immediately taken by the stoic coach on the sideline, the spinning running back, the scrappy quarterback, and the snowy December games. No matter how entertaining the offense, it was the beautiful, terrifying defense that truly stole my heart. Every game, I hoped the Vikings would start out on defense. I couldn’t wait to see Alan Page beat the ball into the backfield and the hulking Carl Eller toss offensive players like rag dolls. The defensive line created chaos up front. The steady linebackers cleaned up anything that got through. The opportunistic secondary collected interceptions. Even a naive, little kid could see that #70 was the key to it all. He wasn’t just the leader of the defense. It was clear on a TV screen half a country away that he was the leader of the entire team. He was the Captain of the Minnesota Vikings. 

The Minnesota Vikings joined the NFL for the 1961 season. Since he was a member of the Cleveland Browns, Jim Marshall wasn’t in the initial plans for the expansion team. His route to the Browns wasn’t a direct one. Marshall was a terrific lineman at Ohio State. He was also one of the nation’s best all-purpose trackmen. He was a conference discus champion and shot thrower. He occasionally ran the 100 meters. His track versatility was such that the Buckeyes track coach suggested that Marshall should train for the Olympic decathlon. He left Ohio State before his senior year so that he could make some money playing football in the Canadian Football League. After a year with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he was drafted by the Browns. As a rookie, he started seven of 12 games. A bout with encephalitis was Marshall’s first brush with death. It also disrupted training camp and his preparation for his second season with the Browns. All of that led to the Browns trading him to Minnesota only days before the expansion team’s first game. On a couple of days of practice, Marshall was a factor in the Vikings 37-13 upset of the Chicago Bears. Two of his pass rushes led to interceptions. He also forced a fumble. It was the opening act of a brilliant 19-year career with the Minnesota Vikings.

So much of Jim Marshall’s long football career borders on the ridiculous. For 19 years, he started every game for the Vikings. He never missed a practice. #70 at right defensive end was such a gameday staple that it was shocking to not see that number in the lineup for the first game of the 1980 season. This sort of durability is common for less strenuous positions. It’s damn near impossible for linemen that experience collisions on every snap. From 1961-79, Jim Marshall started every single game the Vikings played. 

Jim Marshall was tapped for only Pro Bowls (1969 and 1970). That’s a remarkable thing as his play was so consistent for nearly the entirety of his career. Those two years were really no better than, say, 1964 and  1973. It’s a very lazy take to say that Marshall had only two Pro Bowl-worthy seasons. He was one of the league’s best defensive ends for most of his 19 seasons.

Jim Marshall was one of the best, most special football players in the franchise history of the Minnesota Vikings. He was “the heart and soul of the Minnesota Vikings.” From the very first game he set the franchise’s standard as a player and leader. Teammates Fran Tarkenton, Mick Tingelhoff, Ron Yary, Alan Page, Carl Eller, and Paul Krause are honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Each looked to him for leadership. Hall of Fame head coach Bud Grant did the same. 

For 19 years, Jim Marshall was the Minnesota Vikings. He may still be. 

Rest In Peace Captain.