SEC Football history: 50 best players of all time
By Brad Weiss
player. 840. . LB. Gators . Wilber Marshall. 34
34. Best SEC football players of all time: Wilber Marshall, Florida football
Coming out of Astronaut (FL) High School, linebacker Wilber Marshall was considered one of the best players in the entire country. A Parade All-American, he decided to stay in-state with the Florida Gators and would go on to be one of the best players in the history of the program.
A starter at linebacker from 1980 through 1983, Marshall served as the heart and soul of some dominating Gators defenses, racking up nearly 350 tackles in his career. Of those tackles, almost 60 went for a loss, and he is also credited with 23 sacks across his four seasons in the middle of the Gators defense.
A three-time All-SEC player, Marshall was named a unanimous All-American in both 1982 and 1983, becoming a finalist for the Lombardi Award in each season. ABC Sports named him the 1983 Defensive Player of the Year, and he was eventually named the Gators Defensive Player of the Century and put into their Ring of Honor.
A first-round pick for the Chicago Bears, Marshall played a key role in arguably the best defense in NFL history, the 1985 Chicago Bears. He won two Super Bowls, one with Chicago, and another with Washington, and was a three-time All-Pro.