Former New York Giants wide receiver Arthur Marshall died Wednesday after a battle with stomach cancer. He was 57.
Marshall spent three seasons with the Giants from 1994 to 1996 after arriving in a trade from the Denver Broncos. The deal brought him to the same locker room as his old Georgia teammate, running back Rodney Hampton.
The Giants acquired Marshall on April 26, 1994, sending a seventh-round draft pick to Denver. He wore Nos. 83, 86 and 12 during his time in New York and appeared in 36 games for the club.
In 1994 he caught 16 passes for 219 yards. The next year he added 17 receptions for 195 yards and one touchdown as the Giants finished 5-11. In 1996 he saw limited action in five games and also handled punt returns, totaling 13 returns for 144 yards with a long of 36.
Marshall finished his five-year NFL career with 87 receptions for 1,267 yards and four touchdowns across 68 games. Ten of those games were starts.
He first reached the league as an undrafted free agent signed by the Broncos in 1992 out of the University of Georgia. As a rookie he posted 26 catches for 493 yards and a score, earning a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. He also returned kicks that season.
Denver used him as a starter in nine games in 1993, when he recorded 28 receptions for 360 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos went 8-8 in his first year.
Born April 29, 1969, in Hephzibah, Georgia, Marshall was one of eight children. He starred at Hephzibah High School, where he graduated with a 92.167 average and scored 1,020 on the SAT, earning Scholar Athlete of the Year honors for the state.
At Georgia he lettered three seasons and wore No. 12. After going undrafted in 1992, he signed with Denver and quickly showed he belonged.
Giants fans who watched those mid-1990s teams remember a reliable depth receiver and return specialist who joined a roster that included Hampton. The club struggled in those years, going 5-11 in 1995 and 6-10 in 1996, but Marshall contributed whenever called upon.
Marshall later faced legal trouble and was sentenced in June 2010 to 69 months in prison for bank fraud. That chapter came well after his playing days ended.
His NFL numbers remain modest by modern standards, yet they reflect a player who carved out a five-year career after going undrafted. For Giants supporters, he is remembered as the former Bulldog who reunited with Hampton in New York and gave the team three seasons of service.
Funeral arrangements have not been publicly announced. Marshall is survived by his family in Georgia. The Giants organization has not issued a formal statement as of Thursday evening.
Marshall’s story is a familiar one in the NFL: a late-round or undrafted prospect who found a home with two franchises and then returned to his roots. Stomach cancer cut that life short at 57.
Those who followed the Giants in the mid-1990s will recall a speedy receiver who could take a short pass and turn it upfield or field a punt and find space. That was Arthur Marshall’s contribution in New York.
