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© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Monday, May 4, 2026

The Life And Career Of Wilber Marshall

Ben Donahue
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The Life And Career Of Wilber Marshall
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

 

For several years, linebacker Wilber Marshall was one of the fiercest defenders in the NFL.

After laying waste to opponents in high school and college, Marshall was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1984.

That proved to be perfect timing as the 1985 Bears were a force that won 15 games and cruised to a world championship.

Then, in 1988, Marshall shocked the NFL world by signing with the Washington Redskins as a free agent.

He continued assaulting ball-carriers and won another championship when Washington beat Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVI following the 1991 season.

Beginning in 1993, the linebacker played for three franchises in three years before retiring after the 1995 season.

Since then he has suffered from the injuries he sustained during his playing days and also filed for bankruptcy.

This is the story of Wilber Marshall.

 

Talented Astronaut

Wilber Buddyhia Marshall was born on April 18, 1962, in Titusville, Florida.

By the time he started at Astronaut High School in Titusville, it was obvious that Marshall had a gift for the gridiron.

Although he hadn’t quite yet sprouted to his eventual 6 ‘1, 230-pound frame, Marshall joined head coach Jay Donnelly’s football team and made a name for himself.

During his four years with the War Eagles, Marshall played everywhere including linebacker, running back, quarterback, tight end and punt returner.

He also had the ability to kick PATs and field goals for the team.

When he was a freshman at Astronaut, the starting quarterback was none other than future Cincinnati Bengals receiver Cris Collinsworth.

Marshall hounded opponents on both sides of the ball and was named a Parade Magazine All-American.

In 2007, the Florida High School Athletic Association named Marshall one of the best 33 players to ever play high school ball in the state by adding him to its All-Century Team.

 

Marshall Becomes a Gator

picture of a Florida Gators helmet
(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

 

By the time the 1970s ended, the Florida Gators were barely a college football team, certainly not like the top-tier program they would be years later.

There had been a handful of solid seasons here and there, but nothing special to take notice of.

Still, that’s where Marshall decided to attend and signed with second-year head coach Charley Pell’s outfit in 1980.

One of his teammates was his former quarterback at Astronaut, Cris Collinsworth.

Based on his offensive work in high school, Pell had Marshall suit up as a tight end and don the number 88.

While the Gators improved from zero wins in 1979 to eight victories in ‘80, Marshall caught two passes for 24 yards.

Then, before his sophomore season in 1981, Pell and the coaches switched Marshall to linebacker, the better to take advantage of his great instincts.

It would prove to be one of the best decisions of the coach’s career and defined Marshall’s rise as a player.

Florida won seven games and lost to West Virginia in the Peach Bowl, but Marshall made a name for himself.

As a sophomore, number 88 set single-season program records with 11 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss.

His stats earned Marshall a first-team All-SEC nod and honorable mention All-American in his first year as a college linebacker.

 

Marshall Decimates the Trojans

USC Trojans helmet
Mandatory Credit: Donald Miralle /Allsport

 

The 1982 season would officially be Marshall’s coming out party.

Florida began the year by beating in-state rival Miami 17-14 then faced a USC Trojans squad ranked 10th in the nation on September 11.

On paper, the Trojans came to Florida as the better team, boasting quarterback Sean Salisbury and two great offensive linemen in future pros Don Mosebar and Bruce Matthews.

Unfortunately for Salisbury, Marshall couldn’t have cared less who was assigned to block him.

During the contest, the linebacker summoned his inner Superman and flew all over the field.

At one point, he lined up as a defensive end, and when the ball was snapped, he crushed the USC running back one step after Salisbury handed him the ball.

The play is still referred to as the “Trojan Tackle.”

As the Gators’ 17-9 upset win unfolded, Salisbury and his fellow ball-carriers ended up running for their lives.

When the dust finally settled, Marshall had sacked the quarterback four times and snagged 14 total tackles.

Two different media outlets named him Defensive Player of the Week after the showing.

Later on that year, the mighty Georgia Bulldogs blew out Florida.

However,  Marshall’s teammates, as well as the Georgia players, took notice when the linebacker caught all-world Georgia running back Herschel Walker from behind.

“When Herschel broke into the open, he was gone,” former Bulldogs linebacker Knox Culpepper said in 2010. “I don’t think there’s many people … that can say they tackled Herschel from behind.”

The Arkansas Razorbacks dispatched Florida by four in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl to end the Gators season with an 8-4 record.

By then, Marshall had already been named a consensus All-American and a first-team All-SEC pick.

He was also a finalist for the Lombardi Trophy, given annually to the best college football offensive or defensive lineman in the nation.

Furthermore, ABC Sports chose Marshall as the country’s National Defensive Player of the Year.

 

Senior Year

Marshall’s senior season was easily as good as his junior year.

The program went 9-2-1 and beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Gator Bowl, 14-6.

Crushing ball carriers and quarterbacks continued to be Marshall’s M.O. and he wrapped his final college season with a third consecutive first-team All-SEC nod (only the third player in program history to reach that mark at the time).

Marshall was also a finalist for the Lombardi Trophy again and was selected as a consensus All-American for the second year in a row.

In three seasons of play on defense, Marshall racked up 343 total tackles, 58 tackles for a loss (a Gators record), 23 total sacks (also a program record) and four interceptions for 55 return yards.

Years later, he would be chosen for the Gator’s Ring of Honor, the College Football Hall of Fame, the University of Florida Hall of Fame and the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame.

Additionally, Marshall was chosen by the Gainesville Sun newspaper in 1999 as a member of the Gators’ All-Century Team and also named him the program’s Defensive Player of the Century.

 

New Monster of the Midway

The Chicago Bears have a great history of linebackers.

Before the 1980s arrived, the likes of Clyde “Bulldog” Turner, Joe Fortunato, Bill George, Doug Buffone and Dick Butkus lined up at the position.

When former Bears tight end Mike Ditka was hired as the head coach of the franchise in 1982, Chicago already had Otis Wilson and Mike Singletary on the roster.

Then, with the 11th overall selection in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft, Chicago picked Marshall.

“They didn’t have all that stuff when I was drafted. They didn’t have all the hoopla,” said Marshall. “It was a lot different compared to what is going on now.”

One round later, the team grabbed Cal linebacker Ron Rivera.

The Bears’ mighty defense was coming together and getting whipped into shape by defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.

A fifth overall NFL ranking in 1983 morphed into a third overall rank in 1984.

Ryan’s “46” defense was fast becoming one of the most lethal in the league while Ditka’s offense was led by Punky QB Jim McMahon and running back Walter Payton.

During his rookie year in ‘84, Marshall begged Ryan to let him play more but the grumpy coordinator put his new player through the paces.

“He drilled me,” Marshall said of Ryan. “When I told him I wanted to play, he said, ‘No way, you’re a rookie.’ I had to be intelligent enough to figure out how to get on the field.”

While the Bears were winning 10 games, Marshall started just once and ended his first year with 19 tackles.

 

The 1985 Bears

In 1985, Marshall found a way to talk Ryan into letting him see the field more.

“…when [defensive end] Al Harris sat out [the ’85 season in a contract dispute], that was my chance and I convinced him I could do it,” said Marshall.

Obviously, Harris missed out on what was about to happen that year in the Windy City.

Ryan’s “Monsters of the Midway” boasted Singletary, Wilson, Rivera, Marshall, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael, rookie William “Refrigerator” Perry, Dave Duerson, Gary Fencik, Leslie Frazier and Shaun Gayle.

The embarrassment of riches continued on offense with McMahon, Payton, Willie Gault and a host of mauling offensive linemen.

Marshall was finally unleashed to ply his trade once Ryan knew he was ready.

“It’s [formations, plays, schemes] ingrained in my head,” he said. “Everything was orchestrated, nothing was freelanced. We had to take this test every Friday, and not just on our position. We had to know who and what was going on behind us. Buddy wouldn’t let us play unless we knew all the coverages and every formation.”

In 1985, the Bears cruised to a 15-1 record with an offense ranked second in the NFL while Ryan’s defense was tops in the league.

Playing right outside linebacker, Marshall had 78 tackles, six sacks, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and a whopping four interceptions.

“No question about it, Wilber was Hall of Fame-caliber,” Ryan said years later. “He was one of the only linebackers who could blitz, sack the quarterback and make interceptions. He could bump and run with wideouts. He was gifted.”

One of the most memorable plays of the season was in Week 16 when Marshall hit Detroit quarterback Joe Ferguson so hard that most people believe the QB was knocked out before he hit the turf.

During the playoffs, Chicago crushed the New York Giants 21-0 before facing the LA Rams in the NFC Championship game.

Early in the 4th quarter, Dent put a lick on Rams quarterback Dieter Brock and caused a fumble.

Marshall scooped up the ball and sprinted 52 yards for a touchdown.

“I felt like I was in a dream,” Marshall said. “We were in the 46 defense; we had a coverage blitz on from the middle; and we were coming with it. I did a loop inside [tackle Steve] McMichael, and the ball just popped out…It popped out, and I just picked it up. It was just destiny. Everything was working that year. Every week we expected something crazy to happen, and it usually did.”

 

Super Bowl XX

super bowl

 

In the postseason, the Bears humiliated the Giants and Rams by a combined score of 45-0.

There was no reason to expect that Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots would end any differently.

The two teams had met in Week 2 that year with Chicago prevailing 20-7.

However, this contest wouldn’t be as close.

Most NFL fans may not remember that the Pats actually scored first on a 36-yard Tony Franklin field goal.

Following the play, Singletary looked up and noticed a message on the scoreboard.

“I looked up at the message board,” Singletary said, “and it said that 15 of the 19 teams that scored first won the game. I thought, yeah, but none of those 15 had ever played the Bears.”

Even before that moment, the Bears’ defense was already in a frenzy.

The night before the game, Ryan had told his troops that he was leaving after the Super Bowl to become the new head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

His players did not respond well.

“When Buddy left the room there was silence, then McMichael threw a chair at the blackboard,” recalled Singletary. “Dale Haupt, our defensive line coach, turned to me and said ‘Mike, call out the fronts.’ I couldn’t. I was too emotional. I was trying to keep the lid on it. We started watching some film. Hampton said, ‘We don’t need any of that,’ and he hit the projector and knocked a reel loose. Then the meeting broke up.”

For the remainder of the contest, the defense tore through New England like a pack of rabid dogs.

The Pats didn’t score again until the fourth quarter, but by then it was long over.

Aided by a fumble recovery and a sack by Marshall, the 46 defense helped hang 46 points on New England for a decisive 46-10 victory.

 

Pro Bowl Linebacker

Despite Ryan’s decamping for Philly, the Chicago defense stayed hungry in 1986 and was again the NFL’s best unit.

Marshall was now one of the best linebackers in the game and had 105 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, one fumble return for a score, three fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and a mind-boggling five interceptions including one pick-six.

He was chosen as a first-team All-Pro and to his first Pro Bowl following the season.

“Determined, nasty, hard-hitting, smart, knowledgeable — a pit bull,” said fellow Bears linebacker Otis Wilson. “That’s why we called him ‘Pit Bull.'”

Chicago went 14-2 in ‘86, but McMahon was seriously injured in Week 12 and didn’t return that year.

The result was a disappointing loss to the Washington Redskins in the divisional round.

In 1987, Marshall was named to his second Pro Bowl on the strength of 93 tackles, five sacks, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.

Meanwhile, Chicago went 11-4 during the player’s strike-shortened season and lost again to Washington in the divisional round.

 

Marshall Becomes a Redskin

Wilber Marshall #58, Linebacker for the Washington Redskins
(Photo by Allsport/Getty Images)

 

Maybe it was the old adage of, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

After the 1987 season, Marshall became a free agent.

Many around the league expected him to return to the Bears for another shot at a world title.

That wasn’t Marshall’s thinking, however.

Instead, the linebacker became the first free agent in the previous 11 years to leave his current team and sign with a new one.

That summer, he inked a five-year, $6 million deal to become a Redskin, joining the organization that bested Chicago in the playoffs the previous two seasons.

It turned out that Singletary had a “favored-nations” clause in his contract that said he was to be the highest-paid defensive player on the Bears.

If ownership paid Marshall a mega-deal, that meant Singletary would have to be paid megabucks as well, which didn’t suit the Chicago brass.

Washington’s cost to get Marshall was two first-round picks to Chicago, but that didn’t matter as the franchise had just won a championship in 1987 and was still loaded.

“I wouldn’t have minded staying in Chicago,” Marshall said. “We’d been talking contract with the Bears, but they told my agent his demands were ridiculous. I preferred to play in Washington. When you’re a linebacker, you look at who you’re lining up behind, and I’ll have Dexter Manley and Darryl Grant in front of me on the right side. The Redskins’ whole defensive line is great… this unit could be more powerful than the one I played on in the last few years.”

In addition to Manley and Grant, Washington’s defense included Charles Mann, Monte Coleman, Kurt Gouveia, Todd Bowles and Darrell Green.

The ‘Skins disappointed with a 7-9 record in 1988 while Marshall started every game and totaled 133 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles and three picks.

Marshall had good years in 1989 and 1990 with over 100 tackles in both seasons, nine total sacks and two total interceptions.

Washington responded by missing the postseason in ‘89 and losing to San Francisco in the divisional round in ‘90.

 

1991

In 1991, the Redskins were loaded on both sides of the ball.

Mark Rypien was under center and had a full backfield behind him that included Earnest Byner and Gerald Riggs.

The Hogs protected Rypien up front and he had more than enough time to pass to Art Monk, Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders.

Marshall continued pacing the defense along with Jumpy Geathers on the D-line and Brad Edwards and Martin Mayhew in the secondary.

Washington’s ‘91 squad was lethal, with a top-ranked offense and second-overall defense.

Marshall collected 135 tackles, 5.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, four forced fumbles and tied a career-high with five picks including a pick-six.

He was named a second-team All-Pro yet was left off the Pro Bowl roster.

Regardless, the ‘Skins went 14-2 and defeated the upstart Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round before blowing out Detroit in the NFC Championship game (where Marshall had three sacks).

Then, it was on to a world title game for the second time in five years for Washington.

During Super Bowl XXVI against the Buffalo Bills, the defense kept the K-Gun Buffalo offense in check all day and the Hogs opened up holes for the backs and kept Rypien on his feet.

By halftime, the score was 17-0 in favor of Washington.

Although the Bills finally added 24 points in the second half, the ‘Skins offense kept pouring on the points until the final score read 37-24.

Marshall had numerous tackles throughout the night as well as a sack.

Edwards had two interceptions and was almost named Super Bowl MVP, but the award went to Rypien on the strength of his 292 passing yards and two touchdown strikes.

 

1992 and the Beginning of the End

By all accounts, Marshall should have been a Pro Bowler in 1991 but was somehow overlooked.

That didn’t happen a year later.

Washington regressed to 9-7 and a loss in the divisional round to San Francisco.

Marshall, however, did everything he could to get the ‘Skins back to the Super Bowl.

In 1992, he had a career-best 138 total tackles, tied a career-high with six sacks, forced and recovered three fumbles each, snagged two interceptions and returned one for a score.

This time, he was chosen for his third Pro Bowl and picked as a first-team All-Pro (the first time he received the award since 1986) and also received NFC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Following the season, he left Washington and signed with the Houston Oilers where Buddy Ryan was the defensive coordinator.

The Oilers had a good defense in 1993 under Ryan and ranked fourth overall in the NFL.

Marshall started 10 games and had 37 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery and was selected as the NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year.

Houston went 12-4 but lost to Kansas City in the divisional round.

After the season, Ryan was hired to lead the Arizona Cardinals in 1994 and Marshall went with him.

The franchise hadn’t had a winning record since it was located in St. Louis and Ryan hoped to fix that by bringing in several of his former players.

Arizona’s roster that season included retreads Marshall, Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons, Terry Hoage and Andre Waters.

They lined up with Aeneas Williams, Eric Swann, Keith McCants, Eric Hill and rookie Jamir Miller and the unit finished fourth overall as the team went 8-8.

Marshall started 15 times and had 58 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

 

Marshall Retires

Retirement

 

Marshall left the desert after 1994 and headed for the bright lights of New York City and the Jets in 1995.

The Jets had several good defenders including Defensive Rookie of the Year Hugh Douglas but still ended the year 26th in the NFL.

Marshall played in 15 games and started six and collected 32 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles and even picked off two passes for the 3-13 Jets.

He played well enough but ultimately decided that he was done as a pro football player and retired after the season.

During his 12-year career, Marshall had 1,043 combined tackles, 45 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, 16 fumble recoveries including one returned for a score and 23 interceptions including three returned for touchdowns.

His stats made Marshall one of the few “20-20” Club members of NFL players who notch at least 20 picks and 20 sacks in their careers.

Additionally, Marshall was a three-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, NFC Defensive Player of the Year and NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year and won two Super Bowls with two different clubs.

In later years, he was added to the 100 Greatest Bears of All-Time list and to the 80 Greatest Redskins.

 

Health Concerns After Retirement

In the years following his departure from the NFL, Marshall began to experience the results of all the hard hits he doled out.

“I had a lot of problems — dislocated knees, ankles and fractures. I had it all,” Marshall said in 2015. “When you were playing, you put your body before anything because if you got taken off the field, somebody would take your place and you were done.”

By the early 2000s, the former linebacker couldn’t count all the maladies he experienced from health problems.

He ultimately sued the NFL to get full disability benefits and won that right in 2008.

Even with that small win, Marshall had already declared bankruptcy due to his health issues.

“To them, it’s just business,” Marshall said. “One of the owners I talked to when I was playing the game, it was like we were horses out there, that he had thoroughbreds in the pasture. ‘We’ll just bring you in and let you go,’ and when it’s time to go, they put you out to pasture.’”

There has also been frequent mention of Marshall’s questionable absence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Despite numbers equal to or better than linebackers currently in the Hall, Marshall continues to wait.

“It’s really hard when you see some of the guys who are on there,” he said. “Carl Banks. We came out at the same time. Tedy Bruschi. None of those guys even made Linebacker of the Week or Linebacker of the Month, let alone Linebacker of the Year. Or Defensive Player of the Year. And it’s like, ‘What did I do?’ I just don’t get it.”

Marshall has lent his time to organ donor awareness and the National Kidney Foundation.

Currently 63 years old, Marshall now resides back home in Titusville, Florida.

 

References

https://vault.si.com/vault

https://vault.si.com/vault

https://www.hogshaven.com

https://www.windycitygridiron.com

fanbuzz.com

https://www.jacksonville.com

spacecoastdaily.com

https://www.floridatoday.com

https://247sports.com

https://floridagators.com

https://www.sports-reference.com

https://www.cfbhall.com

https://floridagators.com

https://footballfoundation.org

taylorblitztimes.com

https://talkoffametwo.com

https://www.pro-football-reference.com

NEXT:  The Life And Career Of Mark Rypien

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Pro Football History Staff
Ben Donahue
Contributor at Pro Football History
Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

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