Egbert Marshall

Egbert Marshall was born Coleman Egbert Marshall on July 24, 1906, in Frankfort, Kentucky, to Benona Marshall and Emma Wallace Eggbert Marshall, one of 13 children in the family. A standout athlete at Frankfort High School, he earned All-Central Kentucky football honors, helped lead the Panthers to a district basketball championship, and was voted Frankfort’s Most Sportsmanlike Basketball Player following his senior season in 1925. Beyond athletics, Marshall was active in student life as business manager of The Capitolian yearbook, participated in literary and debating societies, and graduated with the Class of 1925.

Marshall enrolled at the University of Kentucky that fall as an Arts and Sciences student and quickly distinguished himself in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. He was recognized for one of the highest scores on the university’s freshman mental aptitude examination, played both freshman football and freshman basketball, and pledged Kappa Sigma fraternity. During his undergraduate years he became a member of the honorary societies Keys and Mystic Thirteen, served on the Men’s Student Council, and was one of only 17 Arts and Sciences students to earn an all-“A” academic record during the second semester of the 1928–29 school year. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1929 with an A.B. in Arts and Sciences.

Marshall earned a place on Kentucky’s 1926–27 varsity basketball squad under head coach Basil Hayden. Although his varsity opportunities were limited, he appeared in two games, including a start at guard against Ole Miss on February 11, 1927, after Hayden opened the game with his second unit. He also saw action against West Virginia four days earlier and remained active in campus athletics after his varsity career, helping Kappa Sigma capture the University of Kentucky’s intramural volleyball championship. Throughout his college years he was a respected campus leader whose accomplishments extended well beyond the basketball court.

After leaving Kentucky, Marshall married Bess Sanford and later lived in Oklahoma City before building a career with E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, where he became a security division supervisor at the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina. He spent 27 years in Aiken, served as a deacon of First Presbyterian Church, and remained active in his community. Marshall died on March 1, 1980, at the age of 73 and was buried in Aiken Memorial Park.