Interesting piece that includes some info not cited in other (good) obits. As a Vikings fan going back to the latter end of their Super Bowl era, I wonder if, had Marshall retired after 13-14 seasons, he'd not been a better HOF candidate. SB11 against the Raiders concluded his 17th NFL season. Realistically, playing into his late 30s to early 40s, Marshall was a below average player for maybe the latter third of his career. 5, 6, 7 seasons is not a small sample size. So despite my inherent bias, I can understand the case against him.
OTOH, I've read that Marshall was likely underrated for his play during his early seasons toiling for the expansion Vikings, and if the wrong-way run, as epic as it was, is truly the sole justification for some selectors not considering him, that's insane.
It's tough putting Marshall's career into context because so much of it comes down to intangibles. Bud Grant, the Vikings HOF coach, was truly in awe of him. There's comments about that in this Missing Rings video, as well as comments from Marshall himself. He may not have liked talking after games, but Jim Marshall is great to listen to here.
Interesting piece that includes some info not cited in other (good) obits. As a Vikings fan going back to the latter end of their Super Bowl era, I wonder if, had Marshall retired after 13-14 seasons, he'd not been a better HOF candidate. SB11 against the Raiders concluded his 17th NFL season. Realistically, playing into his late 30s to early 40s, Marshall was a below average player for maybe the latter third of his career. 5, 6, 7 seasons is not a small sample size. So despite my inherent bias, I can understand the case against him.
OTOH, I've read that Marshall was likely underrated for his play during his early seasons toiling for the expansion Vikings, and if the wrong-way run, as epic as it was, is truly the sole justification for some selectors not considering him, that's insane.
It's tough putting Marshall's career into context because so much of it comes down to intangibles. Bud Grant, the Vikings HOF coach, was truly in awe of him. There's comments about that in this Missing Rings video, as well as comments from Marshall himself. He may not have liked talking after games, but Jim Marshall is great to listen to here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UMVy0-ZjPc
Enjoy your coverage, Frank. Thanks for writing this.