Vikings legend Alan Page: ‘It makes no sense’ that former teammate Jim Marshall is not in hall of fame

Once again, Jim Marshall has been snubbed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And Alan Page is miffed.

From the late 1960s until the late 1970s, Page, a right defensive tackle, lined up alongside Marshall, a right defensive end, on the Vikings’ legendary Purple People Eaters line. Page was inducted into the hall of fame in 1988, then Carl Eller, the left defensive end on that line, got the nod in 2004. But Marshall has been waiting for a hall call since he first became eligible in 1985 following his 1979 retirement.

Marshall earlier was named one of 25 senior semifinalists for the class of 2023. But it was announced last week that he was not among 12 finalists chosen by the senior committee. Up to three senior players will be elected to the hall in February.

“I just don’t get it,” Page said in an interview with the Pioneer Press. “I just don’t understand it. It makes no rational sense to me.”

Marshall spent 1960 with the Cleveland Browns and then was with Vikings from 1961-79. He never missed a game, and had played in then NFL-record 282 straight when he retired.

“Let’s be clear,” Page said. “You don’t play 282 games in the NFL, you don’t survive that long, if you’re not playing at a high level. And the people who played that longevity, none of them are defensive linemen. As a defensive lineman, you get banged around every play, and to play at the level that allows you to play, that strikes me that should be enough right there (for the hall of fame).”

Page scoffed at a criticism that Marshall made just two Pro Bowls in his 20 seasons. He said the rest of his resume is good enough, and points out that Marshall was a longtime Vikings captain.

“He made me better, he made Carl better, he made Gary better,” Page said, referring to left defensive tackle Gary Larsen, who was the fourth member of the Purple People Eaters until he retired after the 1974 season and was replaced by Doug Sutherland. “He contributed as much as anybody to the success that he had, and then there is his leadership.

“He performed on the field, off the field. He performed physically. He lifted people emotionally. I had the good fortunate to play next to him, and I could see what he was doing and he was just a phenomenal football player.”

Marshall did not return a message seeking comment.

Page, who played for Minnesota from 1967-78, attended Vikings training camp Saturday at the TCO Performance Center along with about 10 family members. He and his family regularly have made a visit to camp for more than a dozen years.

During his visit, Page met Vikings first-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell and talked to several players, including pass rushers Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith.

“The enthusiasm and the atmosphere that both the players and the coaches and Kwesi have is kind of infectious,” Page said. “You cannot only see it, you can feel it. It’s palpable.”

Page also chatted with former defensive end Jared Allen on Saturday. On Friday, Allen was named the 27th member of the Vikings Ring of Honor.

“That was a good thing,” Page said.

Page was named to the Ring of Honor in 1998 and Marshall joined him the next year.

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