Bud Grant, Vikings Making Hall of Fame Push For Jim Marshall

Earlier today, we extolled the virtues of defensive end Jim Marshall as being the greatest. . .and only. . .player in the history of the Minnesota Vikings to wear the number 70. Earlier this week, the story came out that the Vikings were going to pull out all the stops to get Marshall into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they’ve even enlisted their legendary coach to try to get the job done.

Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that the Vikings are really going to make a big push to try to get Marshall into Canton this time around, and Marshall’s former coach, Bud Grant, is going to be working the proverbial room personally.

“Just give me the names and I’ll do whatever it takes,” was Grant’s reaction when asked to spearhead communication with voters. “I love Jim Marshall. He’s one of the most unique guys I ever coached. When I talk about him, it won’t be a bunch of baloney, either. I haven’t done this a lot. I haven’t stepped up to this degree, so I think the credibility is there.”

Marshall has been retired from the NFL for nearly 40 years, having hung up his cleats after the 1979 season. Players that have been out of the game for more than 25 years must be granted entrance into the Hall of Fame by the Senior Committee, which gets two nominees every year. The Vikings have only had one Senior Committee nominee, but they’re 1-for-1 in getting them into the Hall, as that’s how center Mick Tingelhoff was enshrined back in 2015.

I really can’t add much else to this, other than to encourage you to read all of Mark Craig’s article on Marshall that’s linked above. Marshall will turn 80 this December, and while you don’t ever want to look at it this way, if the team is going to get Marshall into the Hall, hopefully they can get him there while he’s still able to enjoy it.