The West Warriors were just 7-10-1 on Marshall Starks' two seasons on varsity. Starks essentially was a one-man show his senior year in 1956, rushing for 970 yards and scoring seven touchdowns for a 3-6 West team.
Despite playing for a second-division team, Starks caught the eye of the University of Illinois football staff. He was a three-year starter for the Illini back in the two-way playing days. Starks played defensive back and halfback.
In Starks' three years, the Illinois were 14-12-1. The 1959 team finished 5-3-1 and ranked 13th in the final Associated Press poll. Starks gained 678 yards rushing and had an additional 388 yards receiving in his Illinois career.
Starks was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the 1961 NFL draft. He didn't stick, but Starks kept at it. Eventually, he made the New York Jets roster in 1963. He played defensive back and returned kicks. In 1964, he was returning a punt in the Jets' fourth game when his AFL career came to a sudden end because of a broken leg.
His AFL career ended with 18 games played, 15 starts, one interception and one interesting touchdown. In the third week of the 1963 season, Starks caught a field goal attempt that came up short and returned it 97 yards.
Starks was in traction until December. He rehabbed aggressively and made it to training camp in the summer of 1965. He was a step slower and the Jets released him. In 1966, he tried out and made the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He played 16 games and had another interception.
Starks had lined up a tryout with Miami in 1967, but he didn't go because his family wouldn't leave Rockford. Instead, he played a final season in the Continental Football Season, bouncing between Toronto, Montreal and Orlando. He then returned to Rockford for good and played three final seasons with the Rockford Rams in the Central States Football League. He was the starting safety for the 1971 CSFL champions.
In 1972, the Rams cut the 32-year-old Starks and he moved full time into other pursuits. He was director of the West Side Community Organization (WESCO) in the 1970s and 1980s and then was an active member of the NAACP. Starks was contemplating running for mayor of Rockford in 2016 when he died.
| No. 15 - Marshall Starks, West | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Level | School | Accomplishments | Points |
| 1955 | High School | West | Losing Team | 0 |
| 1956 | High School | West | Second Team All-Conference | 1 |
| League Leader | 1 | |||
| 1957 | College | Illinois | Player on Power 5 Freshman Team | 2 |
| 1958 | College | Illinois | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| 1959 | College | Illinois | Player on Power 5 Freshman Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| 1960 | College | Illinois | Player on Power 5 Freshman Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| 1961 | NFL | St. Louis | Eight Round Draft Pick | 3 |
| 1963 | AFL | New York | Played in Regular Season | 3 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| 1964 | AFL | New York | Played in Regular Season | 3 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| 1966 | CFL | Edmonton | Played in Regular Season | 2 |
| Total | 34 | |||
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