Former Gator Wilber Marshall Part of 2009 NFF Enshrinement Festival
Sunday, July 19, 2009 | Football
Former University of Florida linebacker Wilber Marshall took part in the annual Enshrinement Festival on Friday and Saturday in South Bend, Ind. The National Football Foundation's yearly event paid tribute to the careers of the 2009 College Football Hall of Fame Class.
Marshall was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last December with legends such as Troy Aikman, Lou Holtz, Thurman Thomas, Fred Dean and Rod Smith.
"We are very pleased to have the opportunity to enshrine another exceptional class of college football legends," said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell. "Each year, our hard-working honors courts do an outstanding job ensuring the game's greatest players and coaches find their place on college football's mountain top. We look forward to celebrating in South Bend with this amazing class and their loyal fans from around the country."
The weekend's festivities included a celebrity golf tournament, live concerts, a grand parade, a youth clinic and a fireworks spectacular. The celebration culminated with the Enshrinement Dinner & Show on Saturday night.
"The College Football Hall of Fame is honored to host so many notable contributors to the game in South Bend, celebrating this tremendous accolade," said College Football Hall of Fame Executive Director Lisa Klunder. "Enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame is a rare distinction shared by only the game's greatest stars, and our festival boasts a myriad of events to highlight this extraordinary achievement."
Marshall was a record-breaking tackler and a member of Florida's first senior class to play in four bowl games. He was a consensus First-Team All-America pick twice, and broke the Gators' single-season records for sacks (11) and tackles for loss (16) as a sophomore. By career's end, he finished with a then school-record 23 sacks and remains UF's record holder in career tackles for loss (58). The Titusville, Fla., native was only the third player in school history to be named a three-time First Team All-SEC pick. The Gainesville Sun named him Defensive Player of the Century in 1999.
Selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Marshall played for five teams in 12 seasons on the professional level. He was named All-Pro three times and earned Super Bowl rings with Chicago and the Washington Redskins.
One of only five players in Florida's Ring of Honor, Marshall assists with National Kidney Foundation and Organ Donor Awareness. He lives in Sterling, Va.
2009 FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION ENSHRINEMENT CLASS
PLAYERS
TROY AIKMAN - QB, UCLA (1987-88)
BILLY CANNON - RB, LSU (1957-59)
JIM DOMBROWSKI - OT, Virginia (1982-85)
PAT FITZGERALD - LB, Northwestern (1994- 96)
WILBER MARSHALL - LB, Florida (1980-83)
RUEBEN MAYES - RB, Washington State (1982-85)
RANDALL McDANIEL - OG, Arizona State (1984-87)
DON McPHERSON - QB, Syracuse (1984-87)
JAY NOVACEK - TE, Wyoming (1982-84)
DAVE PARKS - SE, Texas Tech (1961-63)
RON SIMMONS - NG, Florida State (1977-80)
THURMAN THOMAS - RB, Oklahoma State (1984-87)
ARNOLD TUCKER - QB, Army (1944-46)
COACHES
JOHN COOPER - 192-84-6 (.691) - Tulsa (1977-84), Arizona State (1985-87), Ohio State (1988-2000)
LOU HOLTZ - 249-132-7 (.651) - William & Mary (1969-71), North Carolina State (1972-75), Arkansas (1977-83), Minnesota (1984-85), Notre Dame (1986- 96), South Carolina (1999-2004)
2009 DIVISIONAL ENSHRINEMENT CLASS
PLAYERS
ROGER BROWN - Maryland-Eastern Shore, DT (1956- 59)
FRED DEAN - Louisiana Tech, DT (1971-74)
SAM MILLS* - Montclair State (N.J.), LB (1977- 80)
ROD SMITH - Missouri Southern State, WR (1988, 1990-93)
VOLNEY ASHFORD* - 197-55-12 (.769); Missouri Valley (Mo.) (1937-71)
JIM DONNAN - 104-40-0 (.722); Marshall (1990-95), Georgia (1996-2000)
* Deceased
