Doug Marsh

A native of Akron, Ohio, Marsh played high school football for Akron East High School. In August 1976, he played for the Ohio all-star team in the Big 33 Football Classic, known as the "Super Bowl of High School Football", against the Pennsylvania all-stars.{{cite news|author=Joe Juliano|title=Ohio does it to Pennsylvania again|newspaper=Beaver County Times (UPI story)|date=August 7, 1976|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mmAvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OdsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5350,1511437&dq=doug-marsh+akron&hl=en}}

Marsh accepted a football scholarship from the University of Michigan and played for the Michigan Wolverines football team under head coach Bo Schembechler from 1976 to 1979. During his time at Michigan, Marsh caught 57 passes for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns. His longest reception at Michigan was a 71-yard reception against Wisconsin in 1979.{{cite web |title=Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page |publisher=University of Michigan |accessdate=December 5, 2012 |work=MGoBlue.com |url=http://stats.ath.umich.edu/football/footstart.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112175906/http://stats.ath.umich.edu/football/footstart.php |archive-date=November 12, 2007 }}(To retrieve Marsh's statistics, enter "marsh" in the space for "Enter last name" and "doug" in the space for "Enter first name.") He also scored two touchdowns on passes from Rick Leach in Michigan's 1978 victory over defending national champion Notre Dame in the first game between the two schools since 1943.{{cite news|title=Michigan Upends Irish|newspaper=Spartanburg Herald-Journal |date=September 24, 1978|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6kAsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yc0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6783,4850407&dq=doug-marsh&hl=en}} As a senior in 1979, Marsh was regarded as one of the two best tight end in the Big Ten Conference.{{cite news|title=Who's Best Tight End, Brammer Or Marsh ...? |newspaper=Ludington Daily News (AP story)|date=September 28, 1979|page=9|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wdROAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IUoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4410,3319331&dq=football+doug-marsh&hl=en}}{{cite news|author=Dan Perrin|title=Marsh out for revenge: Tight end vows to prove he's best|newspaper=The Michigan Daily|date=October 4, 1979|page=10|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-hFKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Sx4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1222,1915714&dq=football+doug-marsh&hl=en}} started all 12 games at tight end for Michigan and was the Wolverines leading receiver with 33 receptions for 612 yards; Anthony Carter was the second-leading receiver with 17 catches for 462 yards. At the end of the 1979 season, Marsh was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player, a third-team All-American, and a player in the January 1981 Hula Bowl.{{cite news|author=Larry Mishkin|title=Big 10 to big time: Marsh pays dividends for Cardinals|newspaper=The Michigan Daily|date=September 25, 1980|page=13|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YhNKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bx4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1429,1250905&dq=football+doug-marsh&hl=en}}

Marsh was selected by the Cardinals in the second round (33rd overall pick) of the 1980 NFL draft. He signed with the Cardinals in May 1980.{{cite news|title=Big Red signs Marsh|newspaper=The Southeast Missourian (AP story)|date=May 15, 1980|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MLYfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=idcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2175,1633922&dq=doug-marsh&hl=en}}{{cite news|title=Cardinals sign Marsh|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 15, 1980|page=C2|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/623567382.html?dids=623567382:623567382&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=May+15%2C+1980&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Cardinals+sign+Marsh&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131225231/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/623567382.html?dids=623567382:623567382&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=May+15,+1980&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Cardinals+sign+Marsh&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013}} His contract was for seven years and was "estimated to be worth $1.3 million."{{cite news|title=Michigan's Marsh inks Cards contract|newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World (AP story)|date=May 15, 1980|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CZcyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d-cFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6883,3378526&dq=football+doug-marsh&hl=en}}

As a rookie in 1980, Marsh was the Cardinals' starting tight end in all 16 regular season games. In his first three NFL games, he caught nine passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Marsh's playing time was limited in his second year in the NFL. On August 29, 1981, he sustained an injury to knee ligaments during the last preseason game and missed the first four games of the 1981 season. Marsh returned to the Cardinals as their starting tight end in early October 1981,{{cite news|title=Cardinals Activate Receivers Gray, Marsh|newspaper=Schenectady Gazette|date=October 3, 1981|page=26|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HNBKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6205,825561&dq=football+doug-marsh&hl=en}} but he dislocated a hip while pursuing an onside kick during the Cardinals' 30-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on October 25, 1981. As a result of the injuries, Marsh missed 12 games during the 1981 season.{{cite news|title=Cards lose Marsh|newspaper=Southeast Missourian (AP story)|page=9|date=October 25, 1981|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FdIfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5tgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3906,6202659&dq=football+doug-marsh&hl=en}}{{cite news|author=Bob Pfeiffer|title=Big Red, Marsh eye better times|date=June 26, 1986|page=7|newspaper=Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, Missouri|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9sQfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hdgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1051,5564194&dq=football+doug-marsh&hl=en}} He returned in 1982 as the team's starting tight end and held that position for the next five seasons. His best year was 1984 when he caught 39 passes for 608 yards and five touchdowns. In June 1987, Marsh was released by the Cardinals. The team's head coach Gene Stallings noted that Marsh was the only quarterback, tight end or receiver who did not attend the entirety of an eight-day passing game school conducted by the team and added, "When that happened, I just could not go to bat for him."{{cite news|title=Marsh gets pink slip from Big Red|newspaper=Southeast Missourian (AP story)|date=June 2, 1987|page=5B|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ih4pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LtcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=955,4248890&dq=football+doug-marsh&hl=en}} Marsh noted at the time that he had felt that for the prior two years he had been "in between a rock and a hard place with the Cardinals."

Marsh played a total of seven season for the Cardinals from 1980 to 1986. He appeared in 92 games, 90 of them as the team's starting tight end. Over the course of his NFL career, he caught 167 passes for 2,140 yards and 19 touchdowns.{{cite web|title=Doug Marsh|publisher=pro-football-reference.com|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MarsDo00.htm}}

Marsh signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons in July 1987,{{cite news|title=Agent says Flowers to miss opening of Falcons camp|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution|date=July 25, 1987|page=C3|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7C2D0E83B258A&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM}} reuniting with former Cardinals head coach Jim Hanifan who had taken over as the Falcons' offensive coordinator.{{cite news|title=Miscellaneous|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|date=July 25, 1987|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandosentinel/access/93055075.html?dids=93055075:93055075&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+25%2C+1987&author=Compiled+from+wire+reports&pub=Orlando+Sentinel&desc=MISCELLANEOUS&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131225045/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/orlandosentinel/access/93055075.html?dids=93055075:93055075&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+25,+1987&author=Compiled+from+wire+reports&pub=Orlando+Sentinel&desc=MISCELLANEOUS&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013}} Marsh was released by the Falcons after the first week of September 1987,{{cite news|title=It's 'antsy' time in Falcons camp|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution|page=F8|date=September 7, 1987|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7C2E2155F70E3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM}} and he did not appear in any regular season games for the team. In November 1987, he tried out for the New England Patriots.{{cite news|title=Franklin: Stress Fracture?|newspaper=Boston Globe|author=Mark Blaudschun|date=November 20, 1987|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59551498.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+20%2C+1987&author=Mark+Blaudschun%2C+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=FRANKLIN%3A+STRESS+FRACTURE%3F&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131174155/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59551498.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+20,+1987&author=Mark+Blaudschun,+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=FRANKLIN:+STRESS+FRACTURE%3F&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013}}("Former Cardinals tight end Doug Marsh worked out for the Patriots yesterday.") Marsh signed with the Indianapolis Colts in the spring of 1988 and played with them through the preseason,{{cite news|title=Irsay reaches out, touches up Colts|newspaper=USA Today|page=10C|date=May 17, 1988|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55835318.html?dids=55835318:55835318&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+17%2C+1988&author=Gordon+Forbes&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=PRO+FOOTBALL%3BIrsay+reaches+out%2C+touches+up+Colts&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131210245/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55835318.html?dids=55835318:55835318&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+17,+1988&author=Gordon+Forbes&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=PRO+FOOTBALL;Irsay+reaches+out,+touches+up+Colts&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013}}{{cite news|title=Young Irsay Pins Colts' Super Bowl Hopes on Golden Oldies|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|author=Don Pierson|date=July 24, 1988|page=12|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24809690.html?FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+24%2C+1988&author=Don+Pierson%2C+Chicago+Tribune&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=YOUNG+IRSAY+PINS+COLTS%27+SUPER+BOWL+HOPES+ON+GOLDEN+OLDIES}}("Doug Marsh, 30, used to play tight end for the St. Louis Cardinals. He's a Colt."){{cite news|title=N.O. sputters in 18-6 loss to Indianapolis|newspaper=The Advocate, Baton Rouge|date=August 21, 1988|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AD&p_theme=ad&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB475013859AC25&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM}}("Hogeboom had a 37-yard completion to tight end Doug Marsh on the drive.") but he was cut at the end of August.{{cite news|title=Several With Area Backgrounds, Including 'Bubba' Baker, Waived|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=August 30, 1988|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB3288B9DB833F8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM}}("the Indianapolis Colts cut former Big Red tight end Doug Marsh")

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Category:1958 births

Category:Living people

Category:American football tight ends

Category:Michigan Wolverines football players

Category:St. Louis Cardinals (football) players

Category:Players of American football from Akron, Ohio