Purple Mailbag: Will Jim Marshall Ever Get Into The Hall of Fame?
Recently, I put out a feeler on Twitter to see what Vikings fans have on their mind. One question that I received was in relation to all-time Vikings great Jim Marshall and his bid to finally get into the Hall of Fame. We’ll dig into that one to see what kind of case he has to finally make it.
Question: What needs to happen to get Jim Marshall a gold jacket. Jared Allen is deserving but this is one time #70 should come before #69.
Great question.
First, the basics. The defensive end played in the NFL for 20 seasons, a remarkable feat given the position he played. Following a rookie year in Cleveland, all of those years came in a purple uniform. Part of what makes it even more remarkable is that he never got hurt: “He ranks 1st in NFL history with 282 consecutive games played and started, 270 of those are from the Vikings.” His final games came as a 42-year-old.
Unofficially, Jim Marshall put together 130.5 sacks. Some have argued that his relatively modest per-year sack average helps keep him from the Hall of Fame, but I’m of the opinion that longevity ought to work in his favor. Plus, he was playing at a time when passing wasn’t as prominent. Less passing means less sack opportunities.
It’s also notable that his per season average is brought down by declining production as he got older. Again, though, I don’t see these extra years as reason to fault him.
Take a look at what Cole Smith – a writer for Purple PTSD – had to say about Marshall’s case to get into the HoF:
Some fans actually saw Marshall’s unofficial sack numbers as a deterrent to getting inducted. He only posted four seasons of 10-plus sacks over 20 years. Alan Page, for example, had eight such seasons as a defensive tackle. Eller delivered seven seasons of at least 10 sacks. In fact, after Marshall racked up a career-high 14 sacks in 1969, he never reached double-digits again.
While many will look at his final 10 seasons and believe that it reinforces the decision not to induct him, I believe it proves the opposite. Marshall still piled up 101 sacks in his first 12 seasons. His 101 sacks would be tied for 51st all-time with J.J. Watt and still place him above Bethea, Haley, Dean, and Selmon.
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In 2008, NFL Network released its Top-10 Players Not In the Hall of Fame list. Jim Marshall was on it. However, in the 13 years since its release, six of the players have been enshrined in Canton. With stats to now back him up, hopefully some more voters’ minds clear up and right their wrong. It’s time that the Hall finally gives the last deserving member of the famed Purple People Eaters defense his due.
Jim Marshall has a strong case to make it into the Hall of Fame. He was a key component of the Purple People Eaters, helping to lead the Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances. He finds himself in the team’s Ring of Honor. Hopefully, the NFL’s Hall of Fame voters will soon make the decision to induct him into Canton.
What will it take to finally get him in? Well, it’s impossible to say. He has been overlooked several times. Perhaps a weaker class alongside a renewed push from media and fans would be enough to see him finally end up in the Hall.
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