Fort Worth Christian’s Jamal Marshall shines on, off field in honor of late parents

Courtesy of Jamal Marshall

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Tragedy struck Fort Worth Christian’s Jamal Marshall at an early age. His father passed away after being hit by a drunk driver in late May 2011, and his mother succumbed to breast cancer less than a month later.

Marshall and his brother, Jay, then moved from Memphis to Hurst, Texas to live with his grandmother and begin a new life in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Marshall’s grandmother has been a huge source of support for he and his older brother. Marshall explained that his grandmother has gone out of her way and has done everything that she can do to support them.

“My grandma is the strongest person that I know,” Marshall said. “She made sure we had food on the table and made sure we got to school on time. Anything that me and my brother needed, she made sure we had. She is my rock.”

Jay, the older Marshall brother, who currently plays football on the Division II level, has been a big inspiration for Jamal, as the two have been through and overcome so much to get to where they are today. The bond between them has only strengthened over the years through the adversity.

“My brother Jay plays football at Harding and works just as hard as me,” Jamal Marshall stated. “He is a big inspiration to me because he went through the same thing as me and was still able to raise me and be strong for me.”

Now, Jamal has blossomed into a star two-way, three-sport athlete for the Cardinals in North Richland Hills, where he excels at football, basketball, and track. Football, though, is Marshall’s love and where he shines the most.

“Jamal Marshall never came off the field during his junior year, unless he was cramping or something like that,” said Fort Worth Christian head coach Jared Hudgins, who has coached Marshall since his sophomore season. “He played every snap for us on both sides of the ball and never once complained.”

In addition to playing receiver – where he amassed 721 yards receiving and three scores as a junior – and being on the field for every special teams snap, Marshall was the team’s leading tackler (77) and recorded the most interceptions (7) for the Cardinals in 2019. That included a seven-tackle, three-pass breakup, and two-interception performance against Valley View in a 42-16 victory last September.

The rising senior plays a box-safety role for the Cardinals. He models his game after one of the most talented at the position in the National Football League: fellow DFW product and current New York Jets star Jamal Adams. Marshall explained that he looks up to the way that Adams carries himself on the field.

“That is the mentality I have on the football field,” Marshall said. “You have to be a dog and believe you are the best player on the field. I have to go out and get it. I embrace the challenges.”

Multiple Division I programs, including Air Force, Army, and Florida International, have extended offers to the talented multi-sport athlete. Marshall explained that his parents are his motivation to do everything he does to the best of his ability. His mother stressed the importance of school, while he plays his heart out on the field for his father.

“They, along with my great grandmother, are my motivation,” Marshall said. “It makes me want to do everything to the fullest. I do not know when my time is going to come, so I want to do everything to the best of my ability.”

Coach Hudgins has had an up-close view of Marshall since taking over as head coach of the Fort Worth Christian program ahead of the 2018 season. Hudgins explained that Marshall has always stepped up as a leader on and off the field.

“He is an’ action speak louder than words’ kind of guy,” Hudgins said. “He has stepped up as leader on the defensive side of ball, and he is someone that you can trust on offense.”

Marshall has proven to be a star for Hudgins’ squad since his sophomore season. In 2018, he earned first-team all-district and second-team all-state honors for the Cardinals. Last season, Marshall was named to the TAPPS Division II second-team all-state team at wide receiver in addition to honorable mention honors at safety.

For his final season in high school, Marshall’s goals are focused on team success rather than individual accolades. The Cardinals saw their season end in the first round of the playoffs a year ago after making the semifinals in 2018. Marshall is determined to make sure it ends differently this time around, and he has been working on his speed, explosion, route running, and overall craft to improve his game this offseason.

“We want to be district and state champions,” Marshall said. “All of my personal goals have to be set to the side because the team comes first.”

Marshall has goals of playing professional football in the future, but he has a different goal in mind before that: graduating from college. Earning a degree from the university that he ultimately chooses to attend is a huge priority.

“My goal is to play in the NFL, but my first goal is to get a degree,” Marshall said. “I know that would make my grandma and my parents proud.”

 

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