Chicago Bears Top 100: #38 Wilber Marshall

Marshall had his best season with the Bears in 1986, when the Bears had an arguably better defense.  Marshall had 5.5 sacks, 5 INT’s, 4 FF, 3 FR’s and a pair of touchdowns.  Following the 1988 season, Marshall became the first player in 11 years to leave for another team via free agency.  The Bears received two first round picks as compensation for Marshall’s departure to the Redskins.  The Bears refused to match the 5-year, $6 million contract the Redskins offered.  If you want to read up on some of the aftermath of the deal, check out this article from the Tribune archives.

Marshall went on to have a successful career with the Redskins.  He had 24.5 sacks and a dozen interceptions in 5 season with the ‘Skins.  He added another Super Bowl win in 1991 and was the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1992.

Marshall has fallen on hard times after his playing career ended in 1995.  His health deteriorated as he battled injuries he sustained as a player and not being able to keep up with his medical bills, he had to file for bankruptcy.  He resides in his hometown of Titusville, Florida.

Ok, I couldn’t end the post without at least posting a gif of Marshall laying out Lions quarterback Joe Ferguson:

What do you think of the ranking?  Too high?  Too low?  I guess you’ll have to check back to see who finished ahead of him to judge for yourself.  We’ll be counting down a different person each day as we inch our way to the September 7th season opener.