Wilber Marshall Wilber Buddyhia Marshall ( born April 18 , 1962 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League ( NFL ) for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s . Marshall played college football for the University of Florida , and was twice recognized as an All - American . He was selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft , and played professionally for the Chicago Bears , Washington Redskins , Houston Oilers , Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets of the NFL . He was a member of two Super Bowl - winning teams , and was named to the Pro Bowl three times during his NFL career . Early years . Marshall was born in Titusville , Florida . He attended Astronaut High School in Titusville , where he was a " Parade " magazine All - American high school football player for the Astronaut War Eagles . In 2007 , twenty - nine years after he graduated from high school , the Florida High School Athletic Association ( FHSAA ) named Marshall to its " All - Century Team , " recognizing him as one of the thirty - three greatest Florida high school football players of the last 100 years . College career . Marshall received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida , where he was a star linebacker for coach Charley Pell ' s Florida Gators football team from 1980 to 1983 . He was the core of a ferocious Gators defense and finished his college career with 343 tackle s , fifty - eight tackles for a loss , and twenty - three quarterback sack s . Marshall was a three - time first - team All - Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) selection ( 1981 , 1982 , 1983 ) and a two - time consensus first - team All - American ( 1982 , 1983 ) . He was a finalist for the Lombardi Award in both 1982 and 1983 , and was named " National Defensive Player of the Year " by ABC Sports in 1983 . " The Gainesville Sun " named him a first - team selection to the Gators " Team of the Century " in 1999 , as well as the " Defensive Player of the Century . " Marshall was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a " Gator Great , " and was named to the University of Florida ' s Ring of Honor in 2007 , joining Florida football greats Steve Spurrier , Jack Youngblood , Emmitt Smith and Danny Wuerffel . Marshall was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 . In one of a series of articles published by " The Gainesville Sun " in 2006 , he was recognized as the No . 4 player among the top 100 all - time Florida Gators . Professional career . Chicago Bears . Marshall is perhaps best known as a significant member of two Super Bowl championship teams , the 1985 Bears and the 1991 Redskins . In 1985 , the Bears , behind one of the most celebrated defenses in league history , finished the regular season 15 – 1 , shut out both opponents in the playoffs , and beat the New England Patriots 46 – 10 in Super Bowl XX . In a 37 – 17 week 16 victory over the Detroit Lions , Marshall delivered a stunning hit on Lions ' quarterback Joe Ferguson that left Ferguson flat on his back , knocked out cold . But perhaps Marshall ' s most memorable moment came in the 1985 NFC Championship Game , against the Los Angeles Rams . At the beginning of the fourth quarter , snow began to fall at Soldier Field , eliciting loud applause from the Bears fans in attendance . On the next play , Bears defensive end Richard Dent sacked Rams quarterback Dieter Brock , causing Brock to fumble the football . Marshall picked up the loose football and , alongside William " The Refrigerator " Perry , ran 52 yards through the falling snow . The Bears beat the Rams 24 – 0 , and Marshall ' s fumble return for touchdown continues to be the highlight from that game most replayed . Fox News Chicago also named that play to be the most iconic moment of the game , and of the season , as well . He also had a good performance in the Super Bowl , recording a sack and recovering a fumble . In 1986 , Marshall recorded five interceptions and 5 . 5 sacks and was named first - team All - Pro for the first time . Washington Redskins . In the spring of 1988 , Marshall became the first NFL free agent in eleven years to sign with another team , agreeing to a five year / six million dollar contract offer to play for the Washington Redskins , the team that had eliminated the Bears from the NFL playoffs in each of the previous two seasons . When the Bears declined to match the offer , the Redskins had to give them their two first - round draft picks in the next two NFL Draft s as compensation . Marshall won another championship ring with the Redskins in the 1991 season , when they beat the Buffalo Bills 37 – 24 in Super Bowl XXVI , and Marshall finished the game with several tackles and a sack . A week before that , he had a superb performance in the Redskins 41 – 10 win over the Detroit Lions , sacking Detroit quarterback Erik Kramer three times . Marshall was named second - team All - Pro following the 1991 season and was named first - team All - Pro for the second time in his career following the 1992 season . In 1993 , Marshall reunited with Buddy Ryan , who had been the Bears ' defensive coordinator during Marshall ' s first two seasons , signing a contract to play for the Houston Oilers . When Ryan left the Oilers to become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994 , Marshall joined him there for one season . He then finished his NFL career in 1995 as a member of the New York Jets . In his twelve NFL seasons , Marshall recorded forty - five sacks and intercepted twenty - three passes , which he returned for 304 yards and three touchdowns . He also forced 24 fumbles and recovered sixteen , returning them for seventy yards and two touchdowns . He is among the few players who have recorded twenty sacks and twenty interceptions in their career . Life after football . Marshall has spent much of his life after football suffering from injuries he sustained during his professional career . His health has declined as the years progressed , but Marshall has refused to receive surgery to repair his injured spine , shoulder , and knees . Permanently disabled , Marshall ’ s days of battling other players have been replaced with days of fighting the NFL and the players ' union over a settlement pertaining to his injuries . In 2008 , Marshall prevailed in his long - pending dispute over his entitlement to total disability benefits from the Bert Bell / Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan . However , by this time , he had filed for bankruptcy . He currently resides in Sterling , Virginia .