May 5, 2008
Story from the CIAA office
Fayetteville, NC - A memorial service to honor former Fayetteville State Athletics Director John D. Marshall has been set for Sunday, May 18 at the Seabrook Auditorium on the FSU campus. The service will begin at 2:00pm following a special ceremony by members of Marshall's fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc.
Marshall had been ill for several months and passed on Tuesday morning (April 29), he was 78.
The native of Bowling Green, VA, Marshall had been living in Fayetteville since he came to FSU as Director of Athletics in 1980. In addition to managing Bronco Athletics, Marshall was a Health & Physical Education Instructor, Intramural Sports Director, Compliance Director and varsity tennis coach until he retired in 1995.
During his tenure, he reestablished the FSU Athletic Hall of Fame and was inducted in 1997. He is also a member of the Hall of Fame of Livingstone College (2004) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (1995).
Marshall is credited with hiring the CIAA's first female women's basketball coach and helping to bring the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional basketball tournament to Fayetteville. He served as Chairman of the NCAA Division II Football Committee and worked with the Harlon Hill Trophy Committee to select the best player in Division II football.
He was named CIAA Athletic Director of the Year in 1982.
Mr. Marshall was a 1952 graduate of South Carolina State University. He received his Master's and Director's degree in Health and Physical Education from Indiana University. He later served in the United States Armed Forces (Air Force). Marshall began his career as head football coach at Hillside High School in Heath Spring, SC.
His first college coaching jobs were at Elizabeth City State University and Langston University. In 1966 he became head football coach at Livingstone College and also served as co-chair of the Health and Physical Education Department and head tennis coach. In 1970, he became Athletic Director.
After leaving Livingstone, he served brief stints at Johnson C. Smith and Virginia State. He moved into athletic administration as an assistant AD at South Carolina State, his alma mater. He was Athletic Director at Virginia Union before taking a similar position at Fayetteville State.
Wherever he has worked, Marshall has always been focused on student-athlete success. He developed the first academic advisement program at Livingstone and personally participated in advising student-athletes at FSU.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the J.D. Marshall Scholarship Fund through Wachovia Bank in Fayetteville.
