SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME SPOTLIGHT: Astronaut Excessive’s Wilber Marshall Was All-American and Tremendous Bowl Champ

2012 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

WATCH: Wilber Marshall’s efficiency on the highschool soccer fields of the House Coast was a harbinger of issues to return within the Corridor of Fame profession of the person who’s clearly one in all, if not the House Coast’s biggest soccer participant ever.

WILBER MARSHALL – 2012 INDUCTEE

• Prep Soccer All-American, Gators Crew of the Century and Professional Bowl Selectee and Tremendous Bowl Champion

BORN, AND RAISED IN TITUSVILLE

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Wilber Marshall’s efficiency on the highschool soccer fields of Central Florida was a harbinger of issues to return within the Corridor of Fame profession of the person who’s clearly one in all, if not the House Coast’s biggest soccer participant ever.

Born in Titusville in 1962 to Wilbur Sr. and Lillie Marshall, he attended Astronaut Excessive Faculty, the place he performed linebacker, operating again, tight finish, quarterback, returned punts and even kicked area objectives and additional factors for Coach Jay Donnelly.

His Conflict Eagle heroics earned him nationwide recognition as a Parade Journal Excessive Faculty All-American, and in 2007 he was named to the state’s “All-Century Crew” by the Florida Excessive Faculty Athletic Affiliation, which locations him in an elite group of the 33 biggest Florida highschool gamers of the final 100 years.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Closely recruited, Marshall dedicated to the then lowly Gators coached by Charley Pell.

Though he began his profession at tight finish, as a sophomore, Pell and his workers shortly acknowledged that Marshall’s velocity, power and intuitive nostril for the ball was precisely what was wanted to anchor their line-backing corp.

He grew to become the core of a ferocious Florida protection in 1981, setting college information for sacks with 11 and tackles for loss with 27, and was named first-team All-SEC and honorable point out All-American.

The primary staff All-SEC fixture was a consensus first-team All-American and finalist for the Lombardi Award as a Junior in ’82 and a senior in ’83, when he was once more a Lombardi Award finalist and likewise named Nationwide Defensive Participant of the Yr by ABC Tv.

Statistically, he was off the chart, ending his school profession with 343 tackles-58 for a loss and 23 sacks.

The Gainesville Solar named him a first-team choice to the Gators “Crew of the Century” in 1999, in addition to the “Defensive Participant of the Century.”

Marshall was inducted into the College of Florida Athletic Corridor of Fame as a “Gator Nice,” was named to the College of Florida’s Ring of Honor in 2007, and elected to the School Soccer Corridor of Fame in 2008.

TWO-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMP

Pretty much as good as he was on the College of Florida, he received even higher within the NFL.

The Chicago Bears picked Marshall with the eleventh total number of the 1984 NFL Draft, and his fearless, aggressive type of play was in good character for the well-known “Monsters of the Halfway” Bear protection.

In 1985, his second season with the Bears, he was a pillar of the well-known line-backing corps of one of the celebrated defenses in league historical past, which completed the common season 15–1 and beat the New England Patriots in Tremendous Bowl XX.

In his third NFL season, Marshall had 5 interceptions and 5.5 sacks to earn first-team All-Professional honors.

He angered the Bears and the NFL throughout the spring of 1988 when he grew to become the primary NFL free agent in 11 years to signal with one other staff – the Washington Redskins – who had eradicated the Bears within the playoffs within the earlier two seasons.

A key chief and star performer on the NFC Champion Redskins, within the 1991 Tremendous Bowl Marshall and the Redskins defeated the Buffalo Payments. Over the past two years that he anchored the Skins’ protection, Marshall was named All-Professional.

MEMBER OF ‘20-20’ CLUB

In 1993 Marshall signed with the Houston Oilers, reuniting with Buddy Ryan, who had been the Bears’ defensive coordinator throughout Marshall’s first two seasons.

When Ryan took the head-coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals in 1994, Marshall joined him there for one season after which completed his NFL profession in 1995 as a member of the New York Jets.

In 12 NFL seasons, the 6-foot-1, 231-pound Marshall had 45 sacks, 23 interceptions, which he returned for 304 yards and three touchdowns, and 16 fumble recoveries, which he returned for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

He’s one in all only some gamers who’ve recorded 20 sacks and 20 interceptions of their profession.

His 12-year NFL profession took a bodily toll on Marshall, leaving him completely disabled.

After litigation that went on for 11 years, Marshall received a dispute for complete incapacity advantages from the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle Participant Retirement Plan in 2008.

Now dwelling in Virginia, he struggles to stroll with out extreme ache.

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