Jim Marshall's durability and production should have made him an easy choice for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Vikings great, who died on Tuesday at the age of 87, embodied what Bud Grant's teams of the late 1960s and 1970s were all about. But somehow he was never given a place in Canton.

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The Minnesota Vikings have retired only six jersey numbers in their 64 years of existence. Four of those players — Fran Tarkenton (No. 10), Mick Tingelhoff (No. 53), Cris Carter (No. 80) and Alan Page (No. 88) — have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The two who are not are guard Korey Stringer, who died in 2001 at the age of 27 after suffering complications from heat stroke at training camp, and defensive end Jim Marshall, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87.

The fact Marshall died without having a bronze bust of his likeness placed in Canton, Ohio, is mystifying. If anyone deserved to be honored for his dedication and excellence on the football field, it was a man who devoted so much of his life to a game that was far more brutal in his playing days than it is today.

Marshall overcame countless injuries to somehow never miss a game in 20 seasons. He played in a then-NFL record 282 consecutive regular-season games, including 270 from 1961-79 with the Vikings. Marshall appeared in all 12 games, starting seven, as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns in 1960. He was traded to the expansion Vikings in 1961 and never missed a start.

Marshall joined Carl Eller, Alan Page and Gary Larsen as a member of the Purple People Eaters and played in all four of the Vikings’ Super Bowl appearances. Bud Grant named Marshall a captain after being hired as Vikings coach in 1967 and he remained in that role for 14 years. Last September, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell established the “Jim Marshall Vikings Captains Legacy” display as he named the team’s eight captains for 2024.

Marshall’s longevity and excellence gave him a resume worthy of a spot in the Hall of Fame. Although the NFL did not begin tracking sacks until 1982, Marshall is credited by Pro Football Reference with 130 in his career, including 127 with the Vikings. That puts him second in franchise history, trailing Eller’s 130.5 sacks. Eller and Marshall both retired after the 1979 season so their sack totals are considered unofficial.

Marshall was credited with more sacks as a Viking than John Randle (114), Page (108.5) and Chris Doleman (96.5). The three are all in the Hall of Fame.

Marshall also established the NFL record with 29 career opponent fumble recoveries. Jason Taylor, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, tied Marshall’s record in 2010.

Marshall held the consecutive games record for a position player (not a kicker or punter) until Brett Favre broke it in Dec. 6, 2009. Favre, the longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback, broke the record in the first of his two seasons with the Vikings.

Nearly 46 years after playing in his final game, Marshall still ranks fourth in consecutive regular-season games played behind Favre (298), Bruce Matthews (292) and Jerry Rice (284).

There’s more.

Marshall played in 301 consecutive games, including playoffs. That trails only punter Jeff Feagles (363) and Favre (323). Marshall’s 289 consecutive starts, including postseason, is second to Favre’s 321.

His only two Pro Bowl selections came in back-to-back seasons (1968 and ’69). He was voted to the Associated Press All-Pro second-team in 1969, the only time in his career he received such an honor.

As Marshall’s health declined in recent years, there were many pushing for and hoping he would get into the Hall while he was still alive. This included the Vikings.

Marshall had become eligible for election in 1985, but his only year as a finalist came in 2004. He fell short in what was his final year as a modern-era candidate. Last year, Marshall was chosen among a group of 182 senior nominees but was eliminated by the Seniors Committee when the group was narrowed from 31 semifinalists to 12.

There is no doubt Marshall’s lack of postseason awards — not to mention the Vikings’ four Super Bowl losses — played a role in blocking his path to Canton. There are many who believe his infamous “wrong way run” against the San Francisco in 1964 also was held against him by some.

In a gaffe played again and again through the years by NFL Films, Marshall picked up a fumble by the 49ers’ Billy Kilmer and returned it 66 yards. Unfortunately, Marshall ran into his own end zone for a safety.

That was one play in the career of a man who would come to define what the Vikings of the late 1960s and ’70s were all about. A team that thrived in the elements, playing outdoors in the frigid conditions at Met Stadium. Marshall was a leader to his teammates, a terror to opposing offensive linemen and quarterbacks and a player that the normally staid Grant praised endlessly.

Marshall belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The fact he didn’t get the recognition he deserved while he was living is a shame.