Wilber Marshall lived up to the hype in every way.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published August 28, 2003
GAINESVILLE - The preseason media clips leading into his senior season said Wilber Marshall had the potential to become one of the best linebackers ever at Florida.
It wasn't just the usual hype.
From 1980-83, Marshall set a standard at the position that has been emulated, but arguably never exceeded by any Gator, making him the best defensive player of the era.
Florida assistant coach Dwayne Dixon was a teammate of Marshall's and has been with the program 23 years as a player and coach.
Few, if any, could match Marshall's intensity and impact, Dixon said.
"Wilber Marshall was a phenomenal athlete," Dixon said. "He was one of those guys who was very gifted physically. He had a tenacious attitude in terms of if he had a goal, he was going to reach it. He was very determined.
"You were in awe about the ability he had," Dixon added. "I remember watching him in high school where he would go up over a guy and do a layup where he splits his leg and jumps over a guy. He was just a phenomenal physical specimen. His drive to excel was unbelievable. There was nothing going to stop him from having success at what he was asked to do."
Repeated efforts to reach Marshall were unsuccessful.
He was a first-round NFL draft choice by Chicago, helping the Bears win Super Bowl XX, and was an All-Pro in 1986-87 and 1992. Marshall played 10 years in the NFL.
Marshall has lingering health problems: arthritis in his neck and back, both shoulders, and tendinitis in both knees and both shoulders. He expects to one day need artificial knees, hips and shoulders.
"Now, some mornings I wake up and can't move," Marshall told the Washington Post last year. "I've got nerve impairments in both hands. I can't do anything with either of my pinkies. ... The pain that shoots down my shoulders flows all the way down to the outside of my hands."
At Florida, Marshall had 343 tackles (210 solo) and a then-school record 23 sacks for a loss of 191 yards. He is only the fourth non-senior in Gators history to win first team All-American honors (1982) and went on to become a two-time consensus All-American and Lombardi Trophy finalist.
"You see a guy like that and he was always giving his all," Dixon said. "It was an example for a lot of us saying, "Hey, this guy really steps up, I'm stepping up too and I'm going to give it my best every time out.' But he just had something a little bit different. I've seen him, he might be suffering from it now, but he could keep his hands clasped from the back and bring them all the way around to the front.
"He was just one of those guys who was unbelievable. You were just in awe of his physical ability."
Marshall's individual accomplishments should be credited with helping to propel Florida into the national spotlight, Dixon said.
"His being named defensive player of the year was one of the best honors possible," he said. "And with him being one of those top players it brought a lot of national attention to our program as well."
-- Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report.
