Jim Marshall passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87.
The native of Wilsonville, Ky. played one season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1959 at the age of 21. He reportedly signed with the team instead of playing his senior collegiate season in order to make money before he was eligible for the NFL draft.
Marshall played offence and defence for Saskatchewan, catching at least one touchdown pass. The Roughriders finished fifth in the West Division at 1-15 that year.
The six-foot-four, 248-pound defender was selected in the fourth round of the 1960 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, who sent quarterback Bob Ptacek to Saskatchewan in a rare CFL-NFL trade to secure Marshall’s rights.
The Ohio State product was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1961 and played 19 seasons with the team, earning two Pro Bowl selections and three second-team All-Pro selections. As a star member of the Purple People Eaters, his No. 70 was retired by the Vikings and he is a member of the team’s Ring of Honour.
Marshall recorded 130.5 sacks, 30 fumble recoveries, one interception, and one touchdown over 282 career NFL games. He ranks No. 22 all-time in NFL regular-season games played.
