Oct. 25, 1964 - Jim Marshall (pictured), a defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings, is one of the fastest linemen in pro football. You’d think that would be all good, being one of the fastest linemen in pro football. It isn’t all good.
If Marshall were not so fast, he might not have been as embarrassed today. If he were not so fast, he might not have been able to pick up a fumble and run 60 yards in the wrong direction for a two-point safety.
The play didn’t cost the Vikings the game. They beat the 49ers, 27-22, anyway. But it put Marshall in an unenviable category: wrong-way football player. Roy Riegels is the prototype because he ran the wrong way in a Rose Bowl game. Marshall joined the club today.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done anything in my life that’s hurt me more than this,” Marshall said in the dressing room after the game. “It’s one of those things that happen, and you don’t realize what’s happening. I don’t even remember picking up the ball on the fumble. I got jostled around a little while barreling through there, and I guess I just lost my sense of direction. I saw the players on the sidelines waving their arms and yelling at me, but I thought they were cheering me on.”
The first inkling Marshall had that something was terribly wrong came when 49er guard Bruce Bosley congratulated him in the end zone. The 31,845 fans in Kezar Stadium appreciated it, too.
Viking quarterback Fran Tarkenton had a very technical response to the incident. “It’s a good thing Jim threw that ball out of the end zone,” said Tarkenton. “Had he dropped it unwittingly, it would have been a live ball, and the 49ers could have pounced on it for a touchdown.”
The home team had been leading, 17-13, going into the final period. But an interception by Roy Winston set up one Viking touchdown, and Viking tackle Carl Eller recovered a fumble and ran 45 yards for another touchdown.

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