Colorado University Athletics
Football
Nov 1 (Sat)
5:00 p.m.
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Offensive Line
- Email:
- cufb@colorado.edu
- Phone:
- (303) 492-5331
Overall, he is in his 33rd year of coaching in the collegiate and professional ranks. He returned to Colorado from California, where he was the offensive line coach for two seasons (2009-10). He coached three Bears to All-Pac 10 recognition, and in his second year, Cal dramatically reduced its number of sacks allowed, improving from ninth to fourth in the conference.
Marshall, 56, and Embree worked together on Gary Barnett's CU staff in 2000-01. Marshall coached the offensive line those two seasons when the Buffs had one of the most dominant rushing attacks in college football. CU won the 2001 Big 12 Conference title and earned a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. He also coached the offensive field goal/PAT and kickoff return units on special teams.
Over the course of those two seasons, Marshall helped groom five players who were drafted or played in the NFL, including five-time Pro Bowl selection Andre Gurode, a mainstay at center for the Dallas Cowboys. Gurode earned first-team All-America honors in 2001, and another one of his players, Wayne Lucier, did the same a year after he departed in 2002; Victor Rogers was a third-team All-American in 2001. Gurode (twice), Rogers, Lucier and Justin Bates were all first-team All-Big 12 performers, with Lucier and Rogers going on to have four-year careers in the NFL. A fifth player he tutored, Tom Ashworth, signed as a free agent in the NFL with New England and went on to play seven years for the Patriots (earning three Super Bowl rings) and Seattle.
Marshall has been a member of coaching staffs at 11 Division I schools and two NFL teams in his 32 years as an offensive line coach. He has coached in every BCS automatic qualifying conference except the Big Ten with CU now the third Pac-12 school he has coached at along with Cal and UCLA.
In-between his first stint at Colorado and resurfacing in the college ranks at Cal, Marshall coached in the NFL for six years, four with the Houston Texans (2002-05) and after one year out of coaching, returned to the pros for two seasons with the Cleveland Browns (2007-08). In Houston, he was on the Texans' inaugural coaching staff for the expansion franchise's first four years of its existence, first as the assistant offensive line coach for two seasons and then the offensive line coach the next two, the same position he would hold in Cleveland. In 2007, the Browns had the third-fewest sacks allowed in the NFL (only 19 in 16 games), while in 2008, Marshall's work helped pave the way for Jamal Lewis to have a 1,000 yard rushing season.
He came to Colorado the first time around from North Carolina, where he was both the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for two seasons in 1998-99. The '98 Tar Heels made an appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Marshall began his coaching career as offensive line coach at Plymouth State (N.H.) in 1979, and then moved on to Tennessee for two years (1980-81) as a part-time assistant coach, also working with the offensive line.
He spent the 1982 and 1983 seasons at Marshall University, coaching both the O-line and the kicking game, and accepted his first full time job on the Division I-A level at Louisville, his alma mater, coaching the line as well as the tight ends for the 1984 season. He was the offensive coordinator and line coach for head coach Frank Beamer at Murray State in 1985-86, and then went with Beamer as the line coach when he was named head coach at Virginia Tech in 1987.
He was promoted to offensive coordinator for the Hokies a year later and remained in Blacksburg through the 1992 season before returning to Tennessee coach the offensive line. His second stint in Knoxville was for three years (1993-95), the last also as the running game coordinator. He then spent the 1996 season as offensive line coach at UCLA and 1997 at Texas A&M, where he was both coordinator and line coach. The Aggies won the Big 12 South Division that season, but lost to Nebraska in the league's second annual title game.
Marshall joined the North Carolina staff under Carl Torbush in 1998 as offensive coordinator and line coach. The Tar Heels were beset by injuries, but still increased their scoring against six common opponents from the year before.
He is a 1979 graduate of the University of Louisville, earning a B.S. degree in both history and physical education. He lettered twice at Louisville in football, at both tight end and guard for coach Vince Gibson, and as a junior, played in the Independence Bowl.
He was born June 20, 1956, in Hartford, Conn., and graduated from Rockville High School (Vernon, Conn.), where he lettered in football. He is married to the former Karin Ross, and his hobbies include racquetball and traveling.
TOP PLAYERS COACHED: All-Americans (5): Kris Farris (won Outland Trophy), Andre Gurode, Ryan Miller, Jim Pyne, Victor Rogers. All-Big 12/Pac-10/South Independent/SEC (15): Bruce Armstrong, Justin Bates, Farris, Chris Guarnero, Gurode, Jason Layman, Wayne Lucier, Steve McKinney, Bubba Miller, Chad Overhauser, Rogers, Chris Rutman, Mitchell Schwartz, Jeff Smith, Mike Tepper. NFL Players/Draft Picks (18): Armstrong, Tom Ashworth, Bates, Eugene Chung, Farris, Brian Jones, Layman, Lucier, McKinney, B. Miller, R. Miller, Alan Mogridge, Overhauser, Pyne, Rogers, Smith, Tepper, Rex Tucker. NFL All-Pro/Pro Bowl (1): Gurode.
RECORD: He has coached in 385 games in his career, 221 at the Division I level as a full-time assistant coach (37 at Colorado), 244 counting his time at Tennessee as a part time coach, 45 in Division II or the FCS level and 96 in the NFL. He has coached in one collegiate playoff game and eight bowl games at the Division I level, including four traditional New Year's Day games.
