Marvin Lee Kellum was an American professional football player who played linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers for four seasons. Kellum played for the Steelers’ first two World Championships, Super Bowls IX and X, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Kellum recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl IX’s second half, leading to the game’s first touchdown. With the Steelers, he was mostly used on special teams.
A plane crash near the Continental Divide in Colorado during Kellum’s freshman year at Wichita State University killed 14 Shocker players, head coach Ben Wilson, and 14 others. Kellum and his freshman teammates were promoted to the varsity along with players who were not involved in the crash, and WSU resumed its season three weeks later thanks to an NCAA waiver that allowed the Shockers to use freshmen on their varsity team (the NCAA prohibited freshmen from playing varsity football and basketball at the time; those restrictions were repealed in January 1972).
Marv Kellum Cause Of Death
Marv Kellum died as a result of cancer.