Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Jim Marshall's wrong way fumble recovery


I had forgotten about old-time Minnesota Viking Jim Marshall's story until reminded of it in Carol Dweck's book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success." Here's how Dweck captures the story:

Jim Marshall, former defensive player for the Minnesota Vikings, relates what could easily have made him into a failure. In a game against the San Francisco 49ers, Marshall spotted the football on the ground. He scooped it up and ran for a touchdown as the crowd cheered. But he ran the wrong way. He scored for the wrong team and on national television. It was the most devastating moment of his life. The shame was overpowering. But during halftime, he thought, “If you make a mistake, you got to make it right. I realized I had a choice. I could sit in my misery or I could do something about it."

Marshall played 15 more years, appeared in 4 Super Bowls, and set the record for most fumbles recovered in a career (only one went the wrong way).

Here's the play itself, from 1964:

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