Vikings legend Jim Marshall dies at 87

Jim Marshall, whose ironman streak remains the standard for NFL defenders, has died. He was 87. The Vikings announced the longtime defensive end’s passing. Marshall had been hospitalized for a lengthy period, according to the team.

Minnesota rostered Marshall for 19 of his 20 NFL seasons, acquiring the historically durable pass rusher in the franchise’s second year of existence and using him as a starter until his age-42 campaign in 1979. Marshall was part of the Vikings’ famed Purple People Eaters defensive line, one housing Hall of Famers Alan Page and Carl Eller. Marshall has not joined those two standouts in Canton, but his run of starts is unrivaled among defensive players.

It took Brett Favre‘s streak to knock Marshall’s run of 282 straight games from the top of the NFL ranks. Marshall logged 270 consecutive starts for the Vikings, a run that also included 19 playoff games. Favre did not eclipse it until the first month of his Vikings career, in 2009.

“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,” Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said in a statement. “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.”

The Vikings did not draft Marshall, obtaining him from the Browns via trade in 1961. Marshall started seven games for Paul Brown‘s team as a rookie fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, and the Kentucky native made an immediate mark with the Vikings by taking over as a full-timer in his first game. He did so despite arriving barely a week before the 1961 season. Marshall predated Eller’s arrival by three years and Page’s by six, yet he outlasted both with the team. 

The Vikings voyaged to four Super Bowls between 1969-76; Marshall was on the field for each. While accolades on the level of Page and Eller did not come his way, Marshall played an integral role — both from a performance and leadership standpoint — in helping Bud Grant‘s team field formidable defenses for many years.

Sacks did not become official until 1982, but retroactive work on the part of Pro Football Reference credits the ironman D-end with 130.5. When pre-sack-era unofficial totals are grouped with modern-day numbers, Marshall’s total is tied for 22nd in NFL history. Marshall, Page, Eller and defensive tackle Gary Larsen comprised the primary Purple People Eaters front, one that powered the Vikings to those Super Bowls along with Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton.

Marshall earned Pro Bowl honors in 1968 and ’69, the latter year doubling as Minnesota’s first Super Bowl trip — one made before the team reacquired Tarkenton from the Giants. Marshall is credited with 14 sacks, earning him a second-team All-Pro nod, in 1969. Marshall, of course, is also remembered for a 1964 play in which he recovered a fumble and sprinted the wrong way into the end zone for a 66-yard safety. While the Vikings won that game over the 49ers, it lives on to this day. Though, Marshall did plenty to balance out that gaffe during a two-decade career.

Among defenders, only Bruce Smith is within 15 starts of Marshall in NFL history. Darrell Green‘s 295 total games have Marshall’s number topped, but the Hall of Fame cornerback is nearly 20 starts behind the revered Viking. No active defender has a realistic shot at eclipsing Marshall’s 277 career starts, and only five offensive players — Tom Brady, Favre, Bruce Matthews, Drew Brees and Jerry Rice — have that number beat.