Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Randy Marshall's NFL experience



RANDY MARSHALL



Linfield Class of 1969 (graduated 1973)

Came to Linfield in 1965 from Santiam High School (Mill City, Ore.)

6-5 and 270 pounds


RECRUITED TO PLAY BASKETBALL

My recruitment to Linfield was to play basketball. Ted Wilson and his assistant, Dick Barnett, recruited me. (I lettered in 1965-66  season playing basketball for Linfield.) There was no interest from the coaches for me to play football. I credit my career in Linfield football (lettered 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969) to Pete Dengenis. He was an assistant coach and talked me into trying out for the football team. He convinced Coach Durham I had football potential. I played two seasons for Coach Durham and the last two for Coach Rutchman. It was Coach Rutschman who developed me into the NFL player I became. He is a great man, person and coach who took me to the height of my football career.



NFL SCOUTS

During my junior season (1968) at Linfield I had contact with NFL scouts representing several teams. They came to campus and ran me through timed runs and visited with me. It was the same thing my senior season (1969), but in addition to scouts representing several teams a scout for the New Orleans Saints came to campus and timed me in some runs and some other testing.



The Saints were very interested in me and I thought I would end up with New Orleans.  But, on the day of the 1970 NFL draft I was surprised to get drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 6th round (152nd overall).   I think I was the first Linfield player to get drafted that high in the NFL.



NFL CONTRACT

I asked Coach Rutchman to help me with the contract and negotiations. So, when Bobby Beathard of the Falcons came to campus in the spring of 1970, the three of us sat in Coach Rutschman’s office and negotiated a deal which I eventually agreed to and signed.



WITH THE ATLANTA FALCONS

I first trained and played the summer and fall of 1970 for the Atlanta Falcons. Initially, I made the (1970) Falcon's taxi squad. Then, I was activated and started against Denver. Because of how I played in that game I was named 'Lineman of the Week.'  Denver threw the whole kitchen sink at me thinking they could run over a rookie. It did not happen. One highlight of that season was the game against New Orleans. I scored a touchdown for Atlanta after sacking Saints QB Billy Kilmer in the end zone and recovering the fumble. This TD put me in the NFL record book. That game was played Sunday, Oct. 25, 1970, in Atlanta.  After a summer of rehabilitating a knee injury from the last Falcon game of the 1970 season I had a good year in 1971 backing up Claude Humphrey, now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A story in the Aug. 19, 1971, Spartanburg,  S.C.,  Herald-Journal reported that the Falcons cut a veteran because "second year man Randy Marshall," after having knee surgery during the off season, regained his job as Humphrey's back-up, making the veteran player expendable. In Atlanta's first preseason game of 1971 against New England I sacked Patriot QB Jim Plunkett (a rookie that year, Heisman Trophy winner from Stanford) four times. That earned me a spot on the Falcon team roster. I signed another contract with the Falcons in 1972. Atlanta traded me the Buffalo Bills. But, I did not pass the Bill's physical because of my knee problems and had to retire.





ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP

It was a real eye opener. There was fighting and cheap shots from the pro players you don’t see in college. The veterans stuck together and protected themselves from the new players and rookies. This was a job to them and they were not going to allow someone to take their job. Coming from a small high school (Santiam) and a small college, I was nervous my first day of training camp. There I was with big name NFL players and high draft choices. But, after a few hours of practice, I realized that I was as good or better than many of them. I could compete and play with the best players at camp. On the second day of training camp I played with a lot more confidence and excelled. The major difference between college and the pros was that there was no team play in training camp. All players were out for their own good. You look out for yourself with veterans. Unless they wanted you on their team, they could hurt you and take you out.



Falcon training camp was at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn. The humidity was unbelievable. I’d lose 15 pounds at practice just from sweat. So, I drank a lot of Gatorade.



My preparation after being drafted and getting ready for training camp went well. I was in good physical shape. I put on weight as the summer went on. I was on a special protein diet and weight program the Falcons provided.




DID ANYONE KNOW LINFIELD?

No one had any idea where Linfield. Two players did know Oregon. Bob Berry, the Falcon quarterback from University of Oregon. And Falcon coach Norm Van Brocklin, who also played for quarterback for the University of Oregon and was an all-pro quarterback for the Rams and Eagles.



SURPRISES AND DISAPPOINMENTS

My biggest surprise was watching the big name college players and draft choices being waived by the Falcons while I stayed. This was very reassuring. The most disappointing was the fact I could have had a very long and successful career if not for my knee problems.



THE TOTAL EXPERIENCE OF BEING A PRO

We traveled first class. I got to a lot of places, met a lot of people, and had some great experiences I would have never had if it were not for football. Sometimes I do have some regrets because of the physical problems I have now related to football. But, if had it to do over again, yes I would.





WHAT IF?

What if my knees had not had problems and continued to play, how far would I have gone and where would it have taken me?” I think about this every once in awhile.



WATCHING NFL ON TV

I don’t watch NFL too much. If it’s the playoffs and the Super Bowl, I watch. But, for the most part I don’t because of the arrogant attitude of the players today. They’re a bunch of overpaid spoiled brats. Most of them can’t talk or add two and two.



CONTINUED CONTACT WITH FALCON TEAMMATES

I stayed contact for a few years but as time went along so did the communication. My last good friend and teammate was Greg Lens. He was born in 1945 and died 2009. He had Alzheimer's. We all know what that was from. Of the 46 players that I played with in Atlanta, six or seven have died.  Not good odds.



FINAL COMMENT

I am proud of what I accomplished coming from a small high school and college and I hope I inspired the same in others. I attribute a lot of my accomplishments to my friend and coach, Ad Rutchman.

POSTSCRIPT -- These days Randy keeps up his competitiveness by racing lawnmowers. See

http://bit.ly/1nZiEoZ


RANDY MARSHALL PHOTO INFORMATION:

-Randy Marshall, 1971 Atlanta Falcons publicity photos

-Linfield Sports Info publicity photos


...........
Randy Marshall signed US Postal Service postcard (football)