Jim Marshall, a former Minnesota Viking who started in more consecutive NFL games than any other defensive player, but who may be best remembered for romping 66 yards into the wrong end zone after recovering a fumble during a game in 1964, died on Tuesday in Minneapolis. He was 87.

His wife, Susan Landwehr Marshall, confirmed the death, in a hospital. She did not specify the cause but said he had been hospitalized for an extended period.

Marshall started every game for the Vikings over the franchise’s first 19 seasons, making four Super Bowl appearances as part of Minnesota’s formidable defensive line, known as the Purple People Eaters.

When he retired after the 1979 season, two weeks before his 42nd birthday, he had started 270 consecutive regular-season games at defensive end. Quarter

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