Wilber Marshall

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Wilber Marshall
Date of birth	April 18, 1962
Place of birth	Titusville, Florida
Position(s)	Linebacker
College	Florida
NFL Draft	1984 / Round 1/ Pick 11
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1984-1987 1988-1992 1993 1994 1995	Chicago Bears Washington Redskins Houston Oilers Arizona Cardinals New York Jets

Wilber Buddyhia Marshall (born April 18, 1962 in Titusville, Florida) is a former American football player. Marshall played linebacker in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears, the Washington Redskins, the Houston Oilers, the Arizona Cardinals, and the New York Jets. He won two Super Bowls in his career, Super Bowl XX as a member of the 1985 Bears, and Super Bowl XXVI with the 1991 Redskins. Marshall was named to the Pro Bowl following the 1986, 1987 and 1992 seasons.

Contents 1 College career 2 Professional career 2.1 Chicago Bears 2.2 Washington Redskins 3 After football

[edit] College career

Marshall attended the University of Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators football team. Marshall was named "National Defensive Player of the Year" in 1983 by ABC Sports. Marshall was All-American and a finalist for the Lombardi Award in both 1982 and 1983. In 1999, the University of Florida named Marshall a first-team selection to the "Team of the Century", and also named Marshall the "Defensive Player of the Century". He made the College Football All-America Team twice (1982, 1983) and left Florida with 343 tackles and school record 23 sacks.[1]

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Chicago Bears

Marshall is perhaps best known as a member of two of the most dominant teams in NFL history, the 1985 Bears and the 1991 Redskins. In 1985, the Bears, behind one of the most celebrated defenses in league history, finished the regular season 15-1, shut out both opponents in the playoffs, and beat the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. Many people did not notice Marhsall because of fellow linebacker Mike Singletary, but many fellow players felt that Marhsall was just as good as Singletary, if not better. Perhaps Marshall's most memorable moment in the 1985 postseason was in the NFC Championship Game, against the Los Angeles Rams. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, snow began to fall at Soldier Field, elicting loud applause from the Bears fans in attendance. On the next play, Bears defensive end Richard Dent sacked Rams quarterback Dieter Brock, causing Brock to fumble the football. Marshall picked up the loose football and alongside with William Perry, ran 52 yards through the falling snow. The Bears beat the Rams 24-0, and Marshall's fumble return for touchdown continues to be the highlight from that game most replayed. Fox News Chicago also named that play to be the most iconic moment of the game, and of the season, as well. Many people surmise that the snow was George Halas giving his approval of the team. He also had a good performance in the Super Bowl, recording a sack and recovering a fumble.

[edit] Washington Redskins

Marshall won another championship ring with the Redskins in the 1991 season, when they beat the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI, and Marshall finished the game with several tackles and a sack. A week before that, he had a superb performance in the Redskins 41-10 win over the Detroit Lions, sacking Detroit quarterback Erik Kramer 3 times.

In his 12 NFL seasons, Marshall recorded 45 sacks and intercepted 23 passes, which he returned for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also recovered 16 fumbles, returning them for 70 yards and 1 touchdown.

[edit] After football

Marshall’s years of excellence were slowly augmented by the numerous injuries from his professional career. His health declined as the years progressed, but he refused to receive surgery to mend his injured spine, shoulders, and knees. Permanently disabled, Marshall’s days of battling other players have been replaced with days of fighting with the NFL and the players' union over a settlement pertaining to his injuries. His former coach, Mike Ditka, has aided in Marshall’s fight by forming a coalition to raise additional awareness. [2]