![]() One member of the expedition, Hugh Galusha Jr, passed away before help arrived to save the others, may he rest in peace. With Marshall’s legal tender, some chunks of tree bark, and some candy wrappers, they managed to start a fire. The group that included Jim Marshall were blessed that day, because the Iron Man had his wallet full of money and his checkbook with him. Having to grapple with the concept of spending a night freezing in the middle of the woods, the groups smartly huddled together for warmth. Over time, everyone’s vehicles began to fail. During the first leg of the trip, however, a blizzard split the members of the journey apart. That in itself is near Hall of Fame worthy, but that record along with numerous lives could have changed on one day in 1971 where a doomed snowmobiling trip almost cost himself and 15 others their lives.Īs first written about by the Los Angeles Times, Marshall and 15 others planned a snowmobiling trip around and across Montana and Wyoming. To not miss a single game for a few seasons is an accomplishment, but Jim Marshall was healthy for 20 years of football. The next closest defensive players are 55 games short, in a three-way tie for seventh is Ronde Barber, London Fletcher, and longtime teammate Alan Page. 270 straight games started is second only to Brett Favre, and is third in total games played to Favre and punter Jeff Feagles. ![]() Jim Marshall didn’t miss a single game for 19 SEASONS. This all pales in comparison to the record which Marshall should be more often noted for. In terms of accolades, Marshall has three Second-Team All Pro selections and two Pro Bowl nods. Marshall tallied somewhere from 127-130.5 sacks (numbers vary) in his career, which put him at 15th-17th all-time (These numbers don’t appear on most all-time lists because the sack wasn’t a measured stat until after he had retired, in 1982), along with 30 fumble recoveries. Even with this historically dumbfounding blunder, he has a strong resume for the Hall of Fame. The Purple People Eaters’ right end is mostly remembered for the infamous “Wrong Way Run,” where he scooped up a fumble and ran 66 yards into the endzone…his own endzone…and threw it out of the back of the endzone, scoring a two-point safety for the opposing San Francisco 49ers. Iron Man Marshallįor however long this part of the article ends up being, I’m going to try and prove why Jim Marshall belongs in the Hall of Fame and should’ve been there decades ago. Sadly, Doug Sutherland passed away this past April. When he went on the field after waiting for so long, Sutherland made sure to make it count. Half of his career sacks came in two years, ‘75 and ‘76. In his ten seasons with the Vikings, Sutherland recorded 27.5 sacks, which doesn’t sound impressive until you think about how long he was on the bench. Following Larsen would be another future “50 Greatest Vikings” member.ĭoug Sutherland joined Minnesota in 1971, but would almost entirely be a backup until filling in for (and eventually replacing) the aforementioned Larsen. ![]() He played with the Minnesota Vikings from 1965-1974, notched two Pro Bowl appearances, and made the Vikings’ 25th Anniversary Team as well as the teams’ “50 Greatest Vikings” list. An ex-marine, Larsen seemed to enjoy fighting it out in the trenches (no pun intended). Even with his policing duties, he still racked up 38.5 sacks in his 11-year career. Known as the “policeman,” Larsen would often defend the run as Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, and Alan Page (who will all be mentioned later) rushed the quarterback. The first to hold the position down was Gary Larsen. The left defensive tackle spot was held down by two players over the Purple Reign, which lasted from the mid-late 1960’s to the early 1980’s. This piece should hopefully shine light on one of the most prestigious defensive units of all time, from least impactful (no shame to the players, they’re incredible players of their own right) to most impactful. Even with their decorated history and cemented spot in American football lore, like many all-time players, they tend to not be valued as highly as they rightfully should. That may be an unfair comparison for poor Sheb (Who says “Ooh-eee” when they’re scared? You?), but it’s hard to top one of the most legendary defensive lines in NFL history. I’m happy I can say that The Purple People Eaters are much more valuable to history than their namesake. Well I saw the thing comin’ out of the sky/It had the one long horn, and one big eye/I commenced to shakin’ and I said “Ooh-eee”/It looks like a purple people eater to me (The Purple People Eater, Sheb Wooley, 1958)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |