The Big Red Zone continues its series looking back on each of the 28 St. Louis Cardinals drafts (1960-87). This installment focuses on the 1980 Draft, which was held April 29-30 in New York.
Was that the sound of “Hail to the Victors” coming from the Cardinals’ draft room on April 29, 1980? It could have been the University of Michigan fight song, given that the Big Red took a pair of Michigan players with their first two selections in the NFL Draft.
With their first-round pick (sixth overall), they chose defensive end Curtis Greer, who had 48 tackles for 234 yards in losses during his college career. In the second round, St. Louis took tight end Doug Marsh, who caught 57 passes for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Wolverines.
After the Cardinals recorded 28 sacks in 1979 (25th among the 28 NFL teams), their need for a pass rusher opposite Bob Pollard was obvious. And after struggling to find a dominant, pass-catching tight during the previous two seasons, Marsh seemed like he could fill the bill.
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