Marshall, Marshall, Marshall

Former Fresno State standout has NFL receivers on lockdown

By Brittani Green
The Collegian

Suited up in his black, baby blue and silver Carolina Panther uniform wearing the number 31, Richard Marshall has finally reached his goal.

Marshall, 21, from Los Angeles, Calif. is a former cornerback for the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Marshall played for the Bulldogs for three years and had a great impact on the defense.

On the 2006 NFL Draft day, Marshall was at his mother’s house in Chino, Calif., surrounded by family and friends to hear if his name would be called.

Marshall said the process was long and boring, but the wait paid off. His name was called in the second round as the 58th pick of the draft.

“I was crying, because I made it, I finally got here,” Marshall said.

Now in his first season for the Panthers, Marshall admits the NFL is a big transition from college.

“It’s faster and the plays are lot harder; the game itself is faster,” Marshall said.

The first day of camp was no cake walk.

“It is an experience that you don’t want to have; people arguing, fighting, frustration because you don’t know the plays,” Marshall said.

At age 5, he had a passion for football.

“I liked it because it was physical,” Marshall said.

He realized his sophomore year in high school that this is what he wanted to do for a career.

“This was something that I had a lot of passion for, other things I didn’t care too much for at that time,” Marshall said.

Marshall attended Locke High School in Los Angeles, where he was recruited by the University of Oregon, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Southern California, the University of Nebraska and Fresno State.

He did not attend any of the bigger schools because he was a partial qualifier. His grades were good, but his test scores were not high enough.

Fresno State defensive back coach Randy Stewart watched Marshall while coaching at Cal, but they did not recruit Marshall.

So when Stewart came to Fresno State, Marshall was high on his recruiting list, since Marshall would qualify under the Western Athletic Conference rules.

Stewart characterizes Marshall as an energetic, emotional, athletic and volatile player. His athleticism and physicality brought great things to the Bulldogs defense.

“He allowed us to do things on defense that we wouldn’t be able to do with someone that wasn’t as aggressive as him,” Stewart said.

Marshall’s energetic and emotional attitude had the ability to set the tone for teammates on defense.

The other reason why Marshall chose to be a Bulldog was because Fresno State offered his best friend and high school teammate, Dwayne Andrews, a scholarship, too.

Andrews, now a senior middle linebacker for the Bulldogs, said he missed Marshall’s presence this season.

“I felt like I lost one of my soldiers when he left,” Andrews said. Marshall’s intensity in practice and games made his teammates want to become better.

“He was an aggressive player on defense, he made me step up my game,” Andrews said.

Off the field, Marshall had a positive attitude that made others want to be around him.

“He’s awesome; he was positive, truthful and up front,” Stewart said.

Although he redshirted his freshman year, Marshall had a great work ethic.

“Richard was always on time to practice, never had any grade problems and always worked to correct his mistakes,” Stewart said.

After his junior season with the Bulldogs, Marshall made a decision to enter the NFL Draft early.

“It wasn’t a hard decision for me. It was either stay at Fresno State or make a life for me and my family,” Marshall said.

Stewart felt that Marshall staying in college wasn’t going to help his football career. Marshall was ready to go.

“At first it bothered me from a selfish point of view, but in the end it was right for him to go,” Stewart said.

For it being his first year in the league, Marshall has had a pretty good season with five total interceptions, two in the preseason and the other three in the regular season. He also scored a touchdown in his 2nd preseason game, off one of his interceptions.

“It was my first one in the NFL. I got in that zone. I was just happy about that situation,” Marshall said.

In his first game in NFL, Marshall admits he was nervous, but calmed down after making game contact.

“I was nervous until I got that first hit and after that I was ok,” Marshall said.

Marshall said fellow Panthers teammate Steve Smith is the hardest receiver he’s had to defend so far. The two compete each day leading up to the next week’s game.

“He has experience, he adjusts to the ball, runs his routes well. He’s just good,” Marshall said.

Marshall enjoys playing for the Panthers, because they help him out even though he is a rookie.

Marshall said his teammates are not selfish when it comes to helping him out on a drill or play he does not understand. And just like Marshall they want to win.

Marshall has had the opportunity of playing against his favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys. Although the Panthers lost, it was a great feeling for him.

“That was the best feeling ever. I got to play against a team that I liked when I was growing up. I wish I could have been playing on that team,” Marshall said.

As the season has progressed, the rookie has earned more respect from his teammates and coaches.

“The players respect me because I’m not scared and the coaches respect me because they are able to trust me now to put me in the game,” Marshall said.

The hardest task for the rookie so far is being away from his wife, Jasmine Marshall. She is currently in Fresno where she is finishing up her senior year as a criminology major.

“It’s hard, too hard I miss her everyday because I don’t get to see her like I used to,” Marshall said.

Marshall feels good about his career at Fresno State and that he did what was expected of him and more. One of the records he set in his position was for interception yardage for 305 yards.

Stewart said that he highly doubts Fresno State will ever get another Richard Marshall.

Marshall’s response: “As a player, I feel good; but it can’t be another me. It’s only one, that’s just the way it is,” Marshall said.

His decision to leave school early left him with six classes left to graduate. Marshall does have plans of eventually returning to school to finish his degree in Chicano Studies. He wants to open up a group home with his degree.

“I want to help out the kids that are in need,” Marshall said.

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