Jim Marshall, a Columbus native who starred in football at Ohio State and with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, passed away on Tuesday after a lengthy hospitalization. He was 87.
Marshall is known primarily for four things:
\* He was a member of the famed Purple People Eaters defensive line with the Vikings.
\* He ran the wrong way with a fumble he recovered in an NFL game in 1964.
\* He set NFL records for most consecutive starts (270) and most games played (282) by a defensive player.
\* And he is, perhaps, one of the very best players in NFL history who, for reasons unclear, has never been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Marshall played high school football at Columbus East and was recruited to play at Ohio State by coach Woody Hayes. He played near the end of the two-way era, meaning he started at offensive tackle and on the defensive line for the Buckeyes. He was at OSU for three years and played in the 1957 and '58 seasons.
Here is what his bio in the 1957 Ohio State media guide said about Marshall:
"76 – MARSHALL, James, 19, 6-3, 232, sophomore … from Columbus … the tackle with the most potential on last year's freshman team … has an unusual combination of speed, agility and strength … is a great shot put specialist in track, when, without any practice, tossed the discus 170 feet to win the 1957 Ohio Relays event … majoring in physical education … will start the 1957 football season as a third stringer, but could finish as a regular … ambition is to coach football … high school coach, Ralph Webster, compares Marshall favorably with Bill Willis, another East High and Buckeye great."
Marshall was a mainstay for Ohio State's 1957 team, which went 9-1 overall and claimed the national championship after a Rose Bowl win over Oregon.
He came back in his junior year and earned first-team All-Big Ten and All-American honors. On Nov. 8, 1958, Marshall scored two touchdowns for OSU's only scoring in a 14-14 tie against Purdue. In the first period, teammate Jim Houston blocked a punt and Marshall returned it 22 yards for a touchdown. Then in the second quarter, he intercepted a pass Houston had tipped and returned it 25 yards for a score.
The Buckeyes ended up 6-1-2 in the 1958 season. He was also a track star at Ohio State, setting school records at discus and shot put in 1958. Marshall was elected to the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.
Instead of returning to Ohio State in 1959, Marshall opted to head to Canada where he could get paid to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 1960 NFL draft.
Marshall played the 1960 season with the Browns. He contracted encephalitis during military training before the 1961 season, and was seriously ill, even being placed in an induced coma to save his life. He was traded along with five other players to the expansion Minnesota Vikings in exchange for two draft picks in the 1962 NFL draft.
Marshall became an infamous figure in 1964 when, in a game against the San Francisco 49ers, he picked up a fumble and ran 66 yards the wrong way into his team's own end zone. He flipped the ball out of bounds in celebration, only to realize that move gave the 49ers two points for a safety. That play is frequently replayed as one of the biggest gaffes in NFL history.
"People, you know, constantly talk about the wrong way run," Marshall told NFL Films decades later. "I always tell them, 'You know what, think about the worst mistake that you've ever made and think about a hundred, two hundred million people seeing you make that mistake and teasing you about it every day of your life. How would you feel?'"
But make no mistake, Marshall was a difference maker for the Vikings. He was a longtime team captain and regarded as one of the key people to help the franchise get established.
He joined fellow end Carl Eller and tackles Alan Page and Gary Larsen in forming the Purple People Eaters. Marshall was one of 11 players to have played in all four of the Vikings' Super Bowl appearances in the 1970s. Although sacks were not an official stat in the 1960s, it is estimated that Marshall had 127 career sacks. That would have placed him third all-time on the NFL career sacks list at the time of his retirement.
He recovered an NFL career-record 29 opponents' fumbles. He also holds the league career marks for most consecutive starts (270) and most games played (282) by a defensive player. The Vikings retired his No. 70, and he was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor.⋅
Marshall was a two-time Pro Bowl pick and three-time second-team All-Pro selection. Marshall was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, but was not elected. In 2008, NFL Network named Marshall the second-best player not in the Hall of Fame on their NFL Top 10 program, behind only Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Jerry Kramer. Kramer would be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2023 and 2024, Marshall was listed as a semifinalist for the senior nominees, but failed to advance to the final 12.
Marshall and his first wife Anita had two daughters. After his retirement from professional football, Marshall continued to make his home in Minnesota. He was involved in the financial services industry, real estate, and insurance.
He and former teammate Oscar Reed co-founded The Link to support youth and families experiencing homelessness, young people who are survivors of sex trafficking and youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The Link offers programs designed to empower youth with resources and relationships to pursue their goals, serving more than 2,000 youth and families in the Twin Cities each year.
**What They Said About Marshall**
Here is what various sources had to say about Marshall:
**\* Vikings owner Zygi Wolf --** "The entire Minnesota Vikings organization is mourning the loss of Jim Marshall. No player in Vikings history lived the ideals of toughness, camaraderie and passion more than the all-time iron man. A cornerstone of the franchise from the beginning, Captain Jim's unmatched durability and quiet leadership earned the respect of teammates and opponents throughout his 20-year career. Jim led by example, and there was no finer example for others to follow. His impact on the Vikings was felt long after he left the field. Jim will always be remembered as a tremendous player and person. Our hearts are with his wife, Susan, and all of Jim's loved ones."
**\* Longtime Vikings coach Bud Grant --** "He was a special player," Grant said during an interview recorded at Winter Park, several years before his passing in 2023. "Many times you're asked, 'Who are the greatest players?' As a coach, you can't say who is the best, but there is a category you do have, and that is 'special.' Jim Marshall was 'special.' "
Here is what the Associated Press quoted Grant as saying upon Marshall's retirement in 1979:
"I don't think any of us here really appreciates Jim Marshall today. As time and years go by, we'll appreciate him more than ever. … He's going out on top like Francis did. He's not going out on the Injured Reserve or as a backup player. He's going out as a starting, full-time player, playing as well as he always has.
"Maybe we've taken it for granted that Jim Marshall plays hurt. But durability is the most important ability you have. You can't achieve greatness without durability, and that is personified in Jim Marshall. He has been hurt. But he doesn't break. He bends. He heals. He has a high pain threshold. … Jim not only plays hurt, he plays as well when he's hurt as when he isn't. That's what's important."
**\* Quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who played alongside Marshall for 13 seasons --** "Jim Marshall set the tone for how this franchise goes today. We had the Purple People Eaters. They were the foundation of who we are. The leader of the band was Jim Marshall."
**\* Teammate Alan Page --** "If you looked in the dictionary and tried to find the definition of a football player, Jim Marshall's picture would be there. He was, if anybody ever has been, the heart and soul of the Minnesota Vikings. It was my high honor to play next to him."
Here is what another former Buckeye and Vikings star, Robert Smith, tweeted on Tuesday:
> Rest in peace big man. [pic.twitter.com/MOtaXmkSVd](https://t.co/MOtaXmkSVd)
>
> — Robert Smith (@Robert26Smith) [June 3, 2025](https://twitter.com/Robert26Smith/status/1930000406018699725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)