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CBC
2 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Vikings' Purple People Eater Jim Marshall, the 'all-time iron man,' dies at 87
Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall, one of the four members of the famed Purple People Eaters front that formed the backbone of four Super Bowl teams, died Tuesday after a long hospitalization for an undisclosed illness. He was 87. The Vikings announced Marshall's death on behalf of his wife, Susan. The native of Kentucky, who played at Ohio State and was drafted in 1960 by the Cleveland Browns, played 19 of his 20 seasons in the NFL with Minnesota. The two-time Pro Bowl pick set a league record for position players with 282 consecutive regular-season games played, a mark held by Marshall until quarterback Brett Favre broke it, coincidentally, with the Vikings in 2010. Marshall began his professional football career in the Canadian Football League, playing the 1959 season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders before moving to the NFL a year later. "No player in Vikings history lived the ideals of toughness, camaraderie and passion more than the all-time iron man," Vikings owners Mark Wilf and Zygi Wilf said in a statement distributed by the team. "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. Jim led by example, and there was no finer example for others to follow. His impact on the Vikings was felt long after he left the field. Jim will always be remembered as a tremendous player and person. Our hearts are with his wife, Susan, and all of Jim's loved ones." Though sacks weren't officially tracked by the NFL until 1982, Pro Football Reference recently completed a retroactive compilation of the primary pass-rushing statistic and credited Marshall with 130 1/2 sacks, which is tied for 22nd all-time. Two other Purple People Eaters rank ahead of him: Alan Page (148 1/2) is eighth, and Carl Eller (133 1/2) is tied for 18th. Marshall remains the NFL career record-holder, now tied with Jason Taylor, for opponent fumbles recovered with 29. One of those infamously came on Oct. 25, 1964, at San Francisco when, after the Vikings forced 49ers running back Billy Kilmer to cough up the ball, Marshall scooped it up and scampered 66 yards into the end zone — the wrong way. After he tossed the ball in the air and turned toward the touchdown celebration with his teammates he was expecting, Marshall stopped in his tracks and put his hands on his hips in disbelief upon realizing he'd cost his team a safety. The Vikings went on to win 27-22. "It took a lot of guts for me to go back on that field, because I took football very seriously and I had made the biggest mistake that you could probably make," Marshall once said in an interview with NFL Films for a segment on the NFL's worst plays. Marshall took the gaffe in stride, a graciousness made easier by his stature on the team and within the league. Long a favourite of hard-nosed head coach Bud Grant, Marshall played through the 1979 season, his final game coming two weeks before his 42nd birthday. "Maybe we've taken it for granted that Jim Marshall plays hurt," Grant said after Marshall announced his retirement. "But durability is the most important ability you have. You can't achieve greatness without durability, and that is personified in Jim Marshall. He has been hurt. But he doesn't break. He bends. He heals. He has a high pain threshold. Jim not only plays hurt, he plays as well when he's hurt as when he isn't. That's what's important." After Favre broke Marshall's record of 270 consecutive regular-season games started in 2009, the Vikings invited Marshall to their practice facility to speak to the players. He was asked then in an interview session with reporters what he thought about a quarterback overtaking his prized mark. "He's the guy we were trying to hurt," Marshall said with a laugh. "Every defensive lineman that he plays against is trying to hurt him. That's a tough way to earn a living." Marshall's determination and longevity took its physical toll, like many of his peers from an era when player safety and injury prevention were minimal. In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune in 2017, Marshall recounted his long list of post-career surgeries on his knees, ankles, hips, shoulders, back, neck, heart, eyes and ears. "I didn't quite accomplish all the things I wanted to, but I sure tried," Marshall said. "I sacrificed. I gave it my best shot."
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Vikings great Jim Marshall dead at 87 after ‘lengthy hospitalization,' family says
Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall, an NFL champion and a member of the famed "Purple People Eaters," has died after a "lengthy hospitalization," the team announced Tuesday on behalf of Marshall's wife Susan. He was 87. Marshall, a Kentucky native and Ohio State alum, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 1960 NFL Draft and had a successful 20-year career, primarily with the Vikings. "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," the Vikings ownership group 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. Jim led by example, and there was no finer example for others to follow. "His impact on the Vikings was felt long after he left the field. Jim will always be remembered as a tremendous player and person. Our hearts are with his wife, Susan, and all of Jim's loved ones." Marshall set an NFL record for position players by playing 282 consecutive regular-season games, a record that stood until 2010, when Brett Favre broke it as a member of the Vikings. Marshall also set the NFL record with 29 career fumble recoveries. Marshall played 19 of his 20 seasons with the Vikings. He was a key member of Minnesota's four Super Bowl appearances during that period. He also won an NFL championship in 1969, a year before the merger. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
National Post
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Vikings' Purple People Eater Jim Marshall, the 'all-time iron man,' dies at 87
EAGAN, Minn. — Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall, one of the four members of the famed Purple People Eaters front that formed the backbone of four Super Bowl teams, died Tuesday after a long hospitalization for an undisclosed illness. He was 87. Article content The Vikings announced Marshall's death on behalf of his wife, Susan. The native of Kentucky, who played at Ohio State and was drafted in 1960 by the Cleveland Browns, played 19 of his 20 seasons in the NFL with Minnesota. The two-time Pro Bowl pick set a league record for position players with 282 consecutive regular-season games played, a mark held by Marshall until quarterback Brett Favre broke it, coincidentally, with the Vikings in 2010. Article content Article content 'No player in Vikings history lived the ideals of toughness, camaraderie and passion more than the all-time iron man,' Vikings owners Mark Wilf and Zygi Wilf said in a statement distributed by the team. '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. Jim led by example, and there was no finer example for others to follow. His impact on the Vikings was felt long after he left the field. Jim will always be remembered as a tremendous player and person. Our hearts are with his wife, Susan, and all of Jim's loved ones.' Article content Though sacks weren't officially tracked by the NFL until 1982, Pro Football Reference recently completed a retroactive compilation of the primary pass-rushing statistic and credited Marshall with 130 1/2 sacks, which is tied for 22nd all-time. Two other Purple People Eaters rank ahead of him: Alan Page (148 1/2) is eighth, and Carl Eller (133 1/2) is tied for 18th. Article content The Iron Man of Pro Football. 💜 Jim — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 3, 2025 Article content Marshall remains the NFL career record-holder, now tied with Jason Taylor, for opponent fumbles recovered with 29. One of those infamously came on Oct. 25, 1964, at San Francisco when, after the Vikings forced 49ers running back Billy Kilmer to cough up the ball, Marshall scooped it up and scampered 66 yards into the end zone _ the wrong way. Article content After he tossed the ball in the air and turned toward the touchdown celebration with his teammates he was expecting, Marshall stopped in his tracks and put his hands on his hips in disbelief upon realizing he'd cost his team a safety. The Vikings went on to win 27-22. Article content 'It took a lot of guts for me to go back on that field, because I took football very seriously and I had made the biggest mistake that you could probably make,' Marshall once said in an interview with NFL Films for a segment on the NFL's worst plays. Article content Marshall took the gaffe in stride, a graciousness made easier by his stature on the team and within the league. Long a favourite of hard-nosed head coach Bud Grant, Marshall played through the 1979 season, his final game coming two weeks before his 42nd birthday.
New York Times
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Jim Marshall, Iron Man Defensive End for the Vikings, Dies at 87
Jim Marshall, a former Minnesota Viking who started in more consecutive N.F.L. games than any other defensive player, but who may be best remembered for romping 66 yards into the wrong end zone after recovering a fumble during a game in 1964, died on Tuesday in Minneapolis. He was 87. His wife, Susan Landwehr Marshall, confirmed the death, in a hospital. She did not specify the cause but said he had been hospitalized for an extended period. Marshall started every game for the Vikings over the franchise's first 19 seasons, making four Super Bowl appearances as part of Minnesota's formidable defensive line, known as the Purple People Eaters. When he retired after the 1979 season, two weeks before his 42nd birthday, he had started 270 consecutive regular-season games at defensive end. Quarterback Brett Favre broke that N.F.L. record decades later in his waning years with the Vikings, finishing with 297 consecutive starts. Marshall also started in 19 playoff games during a dominant stretch for the Vikings, who won the N.F.C. Central division 10 times in 11 years across the 1960s and '70s. But although Minnesota advanced to four Super Bowls, it lost every one decisively. (The Vikings remain one of a dozen N.F.L. teams that have never won a Super Bowl.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
6 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
Vikings' Purple People Eater Jim Marshall, the 'all-time iron man,' dies at 87
EAGAN, Minn. — Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall, one of the four members of the famed Purple People Eaters front that formed the backbone of four Super Bowl teams, died Tuesday after a long hospitalization for an undisclosed illness. He was 87. The Vikings announced Marshall's death Tuesday on behalf of his wife, Susan. The native of Kentucky, who played at Ohio State and was drafted in 1960 by the Cleveland Browns, played 19 of his 20 seasons in the NFL with Minnesota. The two-time Pro Bowl pick set a league record for position players with 282 consecutive games played, a mark held by Marshall until quarterback Brett Favre broke it, coincidentally, with the Vikings in 2010.
