Leonard Marshall

Leonard Allen Marshall Jr. (born October 22, 1961) is a former American football defensive lineman who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Selected 37th overall in the 1983 NFL Draft, he spent the first ten seasons of his career with the New York Giants where he accumulated 79.5 sacks, ranking him third in team history. He was twice selected to the Pro Bowl and twice named NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year following the 1985 and 1986 seasons. He won two championships with the Giants, recording three sacks in the two Super Bowl games which he played in. Marshall is most famously known for his 1991 hit on Joe Montana that knocked him out of the NFC championship game, after which Montana would not play another regular season game for almost two years. After his time with the Giants, Marshall went on to play a season each for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins before retiring from football at the age of 33. Marshall played college football at Louisiana State University.

Marshall has been active in several business and entrepreneurial activities since retiring. He also has spent time as a football camp instructor, a football head coach, a student, a professor, and a radio broadcaster. In 2013, Marshall was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease detected in a growing number of retired NFL players. He has been involved with efforts to spread awareness about the issue.

Early life and college

Marshall was born in Franklin, Louisiana. He was the oldest of seven children, whose father, Leonard Marshall Sr., was a foreman at a shipyard.Eskenazi, Gerald
Giants Are Looking To Marshall at Defensive End
''The New York Times'', May 1, 1983, accessed May 9, 2007. Initially, Marshall's father did not like the idea of his son playing football, as he thought it was "a stupid game" that would prevent his son from doing more productive things.Litsky, Frank

''The New York Times'', January 4, 1986, accessed May 12, 2007. Later in his life however, Marshall Sr. expressed happiness over his son's success, and even rooted against his beloved Dallas Cowboys when his son's Giants teams played them.

Marshall played college football at Louisiana State University from 1979 to 1982, accumulating 180 tackles and 5 sacks during his four year career. During his senior year, he recorded 53 tackles and 4 sacks and was named the team's defensive Most Valuable Player. Marshall also played a crucial role in LSU's 1982 victory over the University of Alabama, making several key tackles and prompting Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant to state his regret after the game for not being able to successfully recruit Marshall. The team finished 8–3–1 that year and narrowly lost, 21–20, to the University of Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

Marshall graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Business Administration. He was later inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame in 2008.

Professional career

Marshall was selected 37th overall by the New York Giants in the 1983 NFL Draft. He was the fourth defensive lineman taken that year. At the time, Los Angeles Raiders managing general partner Al Davis described him as the steal of the draft.

During his rookie season with the Giants, Marshall struggled initially with weight problems, drawing the ire of the coaching staff.Litsky, Frank (July 31, 1983)
"Heaviest Giant Is Making Slow Progress"
''The New York Times'', accessed May 9, 2007. After trimming down, Marshall made an impact and played strongly against the run but was unable to mount much of a pass rush and finished with only 0.5 sacks on the season. He improved significantly in 1984 however, recording 6.5 sacks. He also made several key tackles to help the Giants preserve a 16–13 win over the Los Angeles Rams during the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Marshall's emergence as a pass rusher continued in 1985 as he racked up 15.5 sacks, earning him a trip to the Pro Bowl and recognition as NFL defensive lineman of the year. Marshall repeated both honors in 1986, teaming up with Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor to form a potent pass rush on the right side of the Giants defense. He finished the year with 12 sacks, helping the Giants to a 14–2 record and an appearance in Super Bowl XXI to face off against the Denver Broncos. Marshall recorded two sacks in the Giants' 39–20 victory, earning him his first Super Bowl ring.

Marshall recorded 8 sacks in 10 games played during a strike-shortened 1987 season in which the Giants finished 6–9–1. He compiled another 8 sacks the following year as he split time with fellow defensive end John Washington. During the 1989 season Marshall collected 9.5 sacks, with the Giants losing in the first round of the playoffs that year to the Los Angeles Rams. Marshall later described the season as a lost opportunity as he felt the Giants had the best team in the league that year.

Marshall engaged in a prolonged contract holdout leading up to the 1990 season.Litsky, Frank (September 15, 1990)
FOOTBALL (sic); Marshall Struggles to Regain Job
''The New York Times'', accessed March 25, 2008. He reported late, and after struggling initially to regain his starting job he recovered to finish the year with 4.5 sacks. The Giants went 13–3 during the regular season and advanced to the NFC Championship Game where the two-time defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers awaited them. In the fourth quarter of the game, Marshall hit 49ers quarterback Joe Montana so hard that he suffered a bruised sternum, bruised stomach, cracked ribs, and a broken hand."What if Leonard Marshall had not drilled Joe Montana?"
ESPN.com, February 16, 2007, accessed May 9, 2007. Montana was forced to leave the game and would not play another regular season game for almost two years (in December 1992), which ended up being his last game with the 49ers. The collision was later ranked as the third most "devastating hit" in NFL history by Fox Sports Net, and the third most "devastating hit" in sports history by ''The Best Damn Sports Show Period''. It would also turn out to be the moment of Marshall's career that he came to be most well-known for. Marshall finished the game with four tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles, and was named NFL defensive player of the week. The Giants won the game 15–13 and advanced to Super Bowl XXV where they faced the Buffalo Bills. Marshall recorded the team's only sack in helping the Giants to a 20–19 victory, earning him his second Super Bowl ring.

Marshall continued to play at a high level in 1991 as he totalled 11 sacks for the year. In 1992, he clashed with new Giants coach Ray Handley however, and the two got into a well-publicized shouting match during halftime of a September game against Dallas. He ended up with four sacks on the year and entered into free agency afterwards. Marshall finished out his career playing a season each for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins.

Marshall retired from football at the age of 33. He later signed a ceremonial contract in 1996 that allowed him to retire as a Giant. Upon signing the contract he stated, "I wanted to retire as a Giant because it's where my career began. They were people who believed in my talents and helped mold me into the man I am today, and I wanted to thank them for that."

Marshall was selected to two Pro Bowls, and finished his career with 83.5 sacks in the regular season, and 7 in the postseason. His total of 79.5 as a Giant ranks him third in team history.

Career statistics

Regular season

GP: games played, GS: games started, Sk: sacks, Tkl: combined tackles, FF: forced fumbles, FR: fumbles recovered, Int: interceptions, Sfty: safeties

Postseason

Life after football

Teaching / mentoring

Marshall hosted the Leonard Marshall Football Academy for a number of years, a football camp teaching the game's fundamentals to youth players between the ages 8 of 18.

Marshall served as a professor of Sports Management at Seton Hall's Stillman School of Business from 2004 to 2009.

In 2010, Marshall was named head football coach at Hudson Catholic Regional High School in Jersey City, New Jersey

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