Jim Marshall one step closer to reaching Pro Football Hall of Fame
Minnesota Vikings great Jim Marshall is a semifinalist in the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame's Senior, Coaches and Contributors category.
A total of 60 former NFL players, coaches and contributors were selected as semifinalists. Those 60 are broken down into two categories, one being former players and the other being former coaches and contributors.
Marshall is one of 31 former players who will next face a July 27 vote to narrow the list to 12 finalists. That will lead to the Aug. 22 vote where up to three former players will be elected to 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Marshall has been credited with 130.5 sacks in his 20-year career that started with the Cleveland Browns in 1960 before he was traded to the Vikings the following season. Marshall was a member of the famed Purple People Eater's defensive line and was a star player on the defense throughout the 1960 and '70s.
Marshall owns numerous NFL records, including an iron man streak of 270 consecutive regular-season starts by a defensive player and a total of 289 consecutive games played by a defensive player. His 30 fumble recoveries are also the most in NFL history.
Marshall was enshrined in the Vikings Ring of Honor in 2004 and his No. 70 has been retired by the team.
Carl Eller and Alan Page, two of the other key members of the Purple People Eaters, have already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Page in 1988 and Eller in 2004.
Marshall, Eller and Page accounted for a total of 412.5 sacks throughout their careers as one of the most formidable defensive lines in NFL history.
