Marshall graduated from the Virginia Military Institute
One of the most interesting facts about George Marshall is that Marshall graduated from the Virginia Military Institute. Having decided early in life that he wanted to be a soldier but was unlikely to get into the United States Military Academy due to his average grades, he turned to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) for formal schooling. Stuart Marshall, a VMI alumnus, feared George would fail and argued that their mother should not allow George to enroll because he would disgrace the family name. Marshall, on the other hand, enlisted at the age of sixteen in December 1897. Marshall's mother sold land she owned in Uniontown and Augusta, Kentucky, to pay for his tuition and expenses.
Marshall was subjected to hazing at the start of his collegiate career, in which upperclassmen instructed him to squat over an unsheathed bayonet with the point up. Marshall fainted and fell after twenty minutes. He awoke with a serious laceration in one of his buttocks. Marshall declined to tell his classmates about his injury while he was being treated. The hazers, impressed with his bravery, never troubled him again.
Marshall was always first in military discipline and around midway in academics during his time at VMI. He graduated 15th out of 34 in the Class of 1901, earning the rank of the first captain, the highest a cadet could achieve. Marshall obtained a certificate rather than a degree. The top five or six VMI alumni obtained bachelor's degrees at the time of their graduation. The remaining students received diplomas attesting to their graduation status. He was an offensive tackle on the football team and was named All-Southern in 1900.
