John Marshall biography
Date of birth : 1945-10-02
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Washington, D.C.
Nationality : American
Category : Sports
Last modified : 2011-01-14
Credited as : Football coach NFL, Defensive Coordinator for the Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl winning
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John Marshall, who enters his 31st season as an NFL assistant coach, is in his second season with The Oakland Raiders as defensive coordinator. In 2009, Marshall coached a unit that ranked ninth in the NFL in pass defense (220.7 ypg.) and tied for 11th in the league in sacks (37.0).
Before joining the Raiders, Marshall served in the same capacity with the Seattle Seahawks. Since beginning his coaching career in 1967, Marshall has helped coach two Super Bowl Champions and one National Champion at the collegiate level. Since entering the NFL ranks in 1980, Marshall has assumed the defensive coordinator role five times: Atlanta (1983-85), San Francisco (1997-98), Carolina (1999-01), Seattle (2006-08) and now with the Raiders. Marshall began his tenure with the Seahawks as linebackers coach from 2003-05 before moving to defensive coordinator. He helped tutor a defense that ranked second in the NFL in sacks from 2005-07 with 136. In 2007, Marshall’s defense led the NFL in touchdown passes allowed (15) and ranked fourth in the NFL with 20 interceptions. His defensive unit boasted four Pro Bowlers and two Associated Press First Team All-Pros.
Two players earned Pro Bowl selections under Marshall’s tutelage in 2006 and one player earned a Pro Bowl spot in 2005. Marshall was elevated to the defensive coordinator position before the 2005 season. His defense led the NFL with 50 sacks, allowed only one 100-yard rusher, finished second in the NFL in red zone defense (40.4 percent) and rushing touchdowns allowed (five) en route to a berth in Super Bowl XL. Marshall joined the Seahawks after one season as an assistant defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions in 2002. Before Detroit, Marshall spent three seasons (1999-01) as the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers. His defense ranked fourth in the NFL with 105 takeaways over his three-year tenure. Before Carolina, Marshall was part of two Super Bowl squads in San Francisco from 1989-98, working with the defensive line from 1989-93, linebackers from 1994-96 and two years as defensive coordinator from 1997-98.
As defensive coordinator in 1997, he spearheaded the NFL’s top-rated defense, second against the rush and pass and helped send five players to the Pro Bowl. Marshall coached nearly a decade in the NFL before going to San Francisco, starting as the Green Bay Packers special teams coach in 1980 and taking over as linebackers coach in 1981. He served as defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons from 1983-85 and coached the defensive line of the Indianapolis Colts from 1986-88. Marshall’s coaching career started as an assistant at Hancock (Calif.) Junior College in 1967 before holding several positions for the University of Oregon from 1968-76: freshman assistant coach (1968), freshman head coach (1969-71) and offensive line coach (1972-76). He then moved to the University of Southern California, where he coached linebackers from 1977-79 and helped lead the Trojans to two Rose Bowl victories and the 1978 National Championship. In 1964, Marshall began his college playing career at Washington State before having his playing career cut short due to a neck injury. He went on to major in Health Education at the University of Oregon in 1969. Marshall and his wife, Becky, have two daughters, Sarah and Meg.
