Marshall added speed, athleticism to 46 defense
Linebacker’s athletic gifts gave ’85 Bears embarrassment of riches
Our pick at No. 54, Wilber Marshall, delivered two of the most memorable plays of the 1985 season — knocking out Lions quarterback Joe Ferguson and returning a fumble 52 yards in the NFC title game.
How were the Bears better on defense in 1985 than they were in ’84, even with starters Al Harris and Todd Bell holding out the entire season?
Wilber Marshall.
The second-year pro moved into the starting lineup for Harris at weak-side linebacker, and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan trusted the speedy Marshall to take over some of strong safety Bell’s coverage responsibilities.
“When a team uses three wide receivers, for example, it is Marshall who often lines up on one of them,” the Tribune’s Don Pierson wrote on Jan. 2, 1986. “Suicidal for most linebackers, it is logical for Marshall and the Bears.”
“He covers wideouts all the time,” Ryan told Pierson. “He’s better than anyone else we’ve got to do that.”
Defensive end Dan Hampton added: “If you talk about the success of the 46 (defense) … the unsung hero is probably Wilber . ... It takes a lot of athletic ability to go one-on-one with (49ers running back) Roger Craig or (Packers tight end) Paul Coffman all day. He’s done it consistently.”
Marshall’s unique gifts were on display as he made two of the most memorable plays of a season filled with them. One, a 52-yard fumble return for a touchdown against the Rams in the NFC championship game, showcased Marshall’s athleticism. The other, a brutal hit of Lions quarterback Joe Ferguson, proved he was one of the NFL’s most fearsome hitters.
Soldier Field was ready to explode on Jan. 12, 1986, as the Bears held a 17-0 fourth-quarter lead against the Rams. No offense was going to score on the Bears that frigid afternoon, but fans were waiting for one more score to truly feel comfortable.
Wayne Larivee was in his first season broadcasting Bears games on the radio with Dick Butkus and Jim Hart. On Jan. 19, 2011, he told the Tribune’s Phil Rosenthal: “There was great apprehension because no one could believe the Bears were going to get this done.”
As snow started to fall, Richard Dent broke through the Rams line and seemed to swallow quarterback Dieter Brock whole. As Brock disappeared under a pile of Dent, Hampton and William Perry, the ball escaped near midfield.
Marshall scooped it up, broke a tackle attempt by Eric Dickerson and received an escort to the end zone from jubilant teammates Perry and Otis Wilson, an exclamation point on the 24-0 win that put the Bears in the Super Bowl for the first time.
“When Wilber Marshall picked up that fumble … and started running toward the south end zone,” Larivee said, “there was an exhale from Chicago like nothing I’ve ever heard or felt in my life. Finally, the Bears were Super Bowl-bound.”
If there was a collective sigh of relief after the Ferguson hit, it came when the Lions quarterback regained consciousness. On the third play from scrimmage in the regular-season finale, Ferguson went back to pass. Perry broke through the middle, forcing the right-handed Ferguson to spin to his left.
As he threw the ball across his body, he was leveled by Marshall, whose helmet hit Ferguson in the chest and chin. The quarterback fell backward to the turf and was knocked out for several minutes. A Tribune photo of the play shows Ferguson appearing to levitate as his limp body fell parallel to the Silverdome’s artificial turf.
Marshall was concerned, telling Pierson on Dec. 24, 1985: “I didn’t think I hit him that hard. … At first, I thought it was a great hit. But then to see him lay there, it was weird for me. I’m not used to that. I hope he’s OK.”
Ferguson recovered to play four more seasons but to this day refuses to talk about the play. Marshall was not penalized but was fined $2,000 by the league.
In Rich Cohen’s 2013 book “Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football,” coach Mike Ditka said: “I can still see the lick Marshall put on Ferguson. My God, I thought he’d killed him.”
Ditka suggested Marshall’s teammates could help pay his fine, an idea met with laughter. The 11th overall pick out of Florida in 1984 took advantage of the USFL’s bidding war with the NFL to sign a four-year contract worth $494,000 per year. It made him the third-highest-paid Bear behind Walter Payton and Jim McMahon.
Despite his big payday, Marshall, like all rookies, had to wait to play under Ryan. That didn’t diminish the high hopes the defensive coordinator had for the 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker.
“This kid is going to be a superstar in the NFL,” Ryan told the Tribune’s Bob Logan early in camp on July 22, 1984. “Not this year, but give him some experience to go along with his ability and football instinct and he’ll really show you something. … I believe that the combination of intelligence, hitting and athletic ability will put him among the top 10 percent of NFL linebackers before too long.”
Marshall, Mike Singletary and Wilson started together for only three years, but “The Bermuda Triangle” established itself as one of the best linebacker units of the era. The Bears went 40-7 in their three years together.
In 1986, Marshall made his first of three Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro. He had 5 1⁄2 sacks, five interceptions, four forced fumbles and three recoveries. By Pro Football Reference’s approximate value metric, he had the best season of any player in the NFL. Eagles defensive end Reggie White and Dolphins center Dwight Stephenson, both Hall of Famers, tied for second.
In a shocking move in the spring of 1988, the 25-year-old Marshall left to sign a five-year, $6 million contract with the Redskins. Because of restrictive compensation rules, the NFL had not seen a player change teams via free agency since defensive back Norm Thompson left the Baltimore Colts for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977.
At that point it was easier for franchises to move than players; between the Thompson and Marshall transactions, three teams switched cities. The Raiders relocated from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982, the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984 and the Cardinals to Phoenix in 1988.
Jack Kent Cooke, the Redskins’ billionaire owner, jumped at a chance to make his Super Bowl champions stronger while weakening a rival. In return, the Bears received the Redskins’ next two first-round picks, which they used to draft solid contributors Wendell Davis and Trace Armstrong.
Marshall played eight more productive seasons, winning another championship with the 1991 Redskins and again earning first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods after the ’92 season. He spent his final three years with the Oilers, Cardinals and Jets in 1993-95, reuniting with Ryan in Houston and Phoenix. He is one of five players — with Karlos Dansby, Seth Joyner, Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher — with at least 40 career sacks and 20 interceptions.
Retirement has been difficult for Marshall, 57, who receives full disability benefits from the NFL after a long legal fight with the league. He told Florida Today on May 12, 2015: “I had a lot of problems — dislocated knees, ankles and fractures. I had it all. When you are playing, you put your body before anything because if you got taken off the field, somebody would take your place and you were done.”