Jim Marshall, famous for both his status as an NFL ironman and also his role in the infamous "wrong way run" in 1964, died Tuesday at age 87, according to the Minnesota Vikings.
No cause of death was provided, though the team noted it followed a "lengthy hospitalization."
Marshall started 270 consecutive regular-season games for the Vikings from 1961-79, which is still the record for a defender. When Brett Favre set the consecutive starts record in September 2009, it was Marshall's mark he broke.
The Ohio State product helped the Vikings reach four Super Bowls in the 1970s as part of their famed "Purple People Eaters" defensive line and was a three-time All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowler. He also served as a team captain for 14 consecutive seasons.
Marshall started his career in the CFL and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1960 before being traded to the expansion Vikings the following year. In the 2000s, NFL Films ranked him as the second-best player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Marshall's most famous moment — unfortunately for him, though he was a good sport about it — is the "wrong way run." During a game on Oct. 25, 1964, Marshall scooped up a fumble by San Francisco 49ers running back Billy Kilmer and returned it 66 yards ... into his own end zone, for a safety.
"Seeing the ball loose, seeing the goal post, kinda triggered 'pick it up and run,'" Marshall later said.
Marshall said that one of the 49ers' players came up and thanked him.
"You knew right away, you really messed up this time," Marshall said.
After Marshall's run, former California Golden Bears center Roy Riegels, who returned a fumble into his own end zone in the 1929 Rose Bowl, sent Marshall a note that said, "Welcome to the club."
Marshall's legacy is much broader than one admittedly immortalized gaffe, and he credited fans for supporting him in that respect over the years.
"A lot of the people have come up to me talking seriously about this and said, 'You know, we really have a lot of respect for you continuing on after that and doing as well as you did and playing as long as you played,'" Marshall said.
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No cause of death was provided, though the team noted it followed a "lengthy hospitalization."
Marshall started 270 consecutive regular-season games for the Vikings from 1961-79, which is still the record for a defender. When Brett Favre set the consecutive starts record in September 2009, it was Marshall's mark he broke.
The Ohio State product helped the Vikings reach four Super Bowls in the 1970s as part of their famed "Purple People Eaters" defensive line and was a three-time All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowler. He also served as a team captain for 14 consecutive seasons.
Marshall started his career in the CFL and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1960 before being traded to the expansion Vikings the following year. In the 2000s, NFL Films ranked him as the second-best player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Marshall's most famous moment — unfortunately for him, though he was a good sport about it — is the "wrong way run." During a game on Oct. 25, 1964, Marshall scooped up a fumble by San Francisco 49ers running back Billy Kilmer and returned it 66 yards ... into his own end zone, for a safety.
"Seeing the ball loose, seeing the goal post, kinda triggered 'pick it up and run,'" Marshall later said.
Marshall said that one of the 49ers' players came up and thanked him.
"You knew right away, you really messed up this time," Marshall said.
After Marshall's run, former California Golden Bears center Roy Riegels, who returned a fumble into his own end zone in the 1929 Rose Bowl, sent Marshall a note that said, "Welcome to the club."
Marshall's legacy is much broader than one admittedly immortalized gaffe, and he credited fans for supporting him in that respect over the years.
"A lot of the people have come up to me talking seriously about this and said, 'You know, we really have a lot of respect for you continuing on after that and doing as well as you did and playing as long as you played,'" Marshall said.
Jim Marshall, NFL ironman and 'wrong way run' central figure, dies at 87
Marshall started 270 consecutive games, still the record for a defender. He was a member of the Vikings' famed "Purple People Eaters" line, reaching four Super Bowls. And yes, he once returned a fumble the wrong way.
