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OSU ON SUNDAY
Defensive ends
Thursday, October 29, 2009
By RAY STEIN
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


PHOTO (top): Jim Marshall only played two seasons at Ohio State, leading the Buckeyes to a 15-2-2 record in 1957 and '58. (File photo)
Each week, Gameday examines Ohio State's impact on professional football with a position-by-position analysis of the Buckeyes who have made a mark in the NFL.

The Best
Jim Marshall

College life: A Woody Hayes recruit out of East High School in Columbus, Marshall played only two seasons (1957 and '58) for the Buckeyes before leaving school early, for the Canadian Football League. OSU went 15-2-2 in his two seasons, and he was an All-American in 1958.

Path to the pros: After one season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Marshall was a fourth-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 1960. He and five other players were traded to the expansion Minnesota Vikings in 1961 for draft picks.

NFL career: Marshall took his place at defensive end for the Vikings and never left. He played in 282 consecutive games, a record since broken by a punter, Jeff Feagles. Marshall made 270 consecutive starts, a mark recently surpassed by Brett Favre - a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Marshall and the Purple People Eaters won 10 division titles and played in four Super Bowls. He made two Pro Bowls (1968 and '69) and retired in 1979 with 29 career fumble recoveries, still a record for defensive linemen.

Little-known facts: The well-known fact is the 1964 fumble recovery and 66-yard return - the wrong way - that gave the San Francisco 49ers a safety (the Vikings won, anyway). Off the field, the man has dedicated himself to community service, education and adventure. So why isn't he enshrined? Could it be the cocaine-possession conviction from 1991, for which he has since been pardoned? Or could it be the Vikings' dismantling in four Super Bowl losses, when Marshall was particularly neutralized?

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