Former Vikings Pro Bowl Jim Marshall dies at age 87

According to Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report on Tuesday, two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jim Marshall of Danville, Kentucky passed away at the age of 87. Marshall played 20 National Football League seasons from 1960 to 1979.

Marshall played 282 regular season games. He played his first season in 1960 with the Cleveland Browns, and then 19 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 to 1979. Marshall had 130.5 sacks, one interception for 30 yards, one safety, 30 fumble recoveries for 50 yards, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. The fumble recovery for a touchdown was for 12 yards and came in a 45-14 Minnesota Vikings win over the San Francisco 49ers to close out the scoring on September 29, 1963. The safety came in a 26-13 Vikings win over the Green Bay Packers on September 22, 1968. The two point play put the Vikings up 16-0 in the second quarter. The interception for a touchdown was for 27 yards and came in a 27-0 Vikings win over the Detroit Lions on November 27, 1969.

Marshall’s two seasons as a Pro Bowler came in 1968 and 1969. In 1968, Marshall had 10 sacks, one safety and one fumble recovery. In 1969, he had 14 sacks, one interception for 30 yards and two fumble recoveries.

One of Marshall’s most memorable plays came on October 25, 1964. In a 27-22 Vikings win over the 49ers, Marshall recovered the fumble, but accidentally ran the ball into his own end zone instead of San Francisco’s end zone. The 49ers ended up getting two points on the play. Marshall was a teammate of linebacker Matt Blair of Hilo, Hawaii, who died in 2020.

Before Marshall played in the NFL, he played one season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League in 1959. While in the CFL, Marshall impressed Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Bud Grant, who coached Marshall in Minnesota.

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