Jim Marshall, famous for both his stature 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. The consecutive starts record was established by Brett Favre in September 2009, and Marshall’s record was dismantled.
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. In addition, he was the team commander for 14 consecutive seasons.
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Marshall began his professional career in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1960. The following year, he was transferred to the expansion Vikings. He was ranked as the second-best athlete not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame by NFL Films in the 2000s.
Marshall’s most renowned moment, albeit one that was unfavorable to him, is the “wrong way run.” Marshall recovered a turnover by San Francisco 49ers running back Billy Kilmer during a game on October 25, 1964, and returned it 66 yards into his own end zone, resulting in a safety.
Marshall stated, “The ball was loose, and I saw the goal post, which kind of triggered ‘pick it up and run.'”
Marshall stated that one of the 49ers’ athletes approached him and expressed gratitude.
Marshall stated, “You were aware immediately that you had made a significant error this time.”
Roy Riegels, the former center for the California Golden Bears, sent Marshall a note following his run. In the 1929 Rose Bowl, Riegels returned a miscue into his own end zone. The note read, “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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