In 96 Tests, he set a world record of 355 wicketkeeping dismissals, the same number his pace bowling Western Australian teammate Dennis Lillee achieved with the ball.
Sections of the media lampooned Marsh's glovework, dubbing him "Iron Gloves" after sloppy catching in his debut Test.
He was widely regarded for his sense of team discipline, in particular after Bill Lawry controversially declared the Australian first innings closed in the Fifth Test of the 1970–71 series at the MCG with Marsh eight runs short of a century.
[9] Marsh played backyard cricket with his older brother Graham, who became a professional golfer and won eleven times on the European Tour.
[11] When he debuted for West Perth's first XI he was a specialist batsman, as Western Australia wicketkeeper Gordon Becker also represented the club.
He formed a bond with Dennis Lillee in 1966 at a time when Marsh was serving as a trainee teacher with the University Club.
[3] His whirlwind knock of 104 on state debut against a fancied West Indian bowling attack which comprised Garfield Sobers, Charlie Griffith and Wes Hall.
[11] At the time, Australia was touring India and South Africa with Brian Taber and Ray Jordon as the team's wicketkeepers.
[7][11] The media was quick to criticise Marsh's glovework in his early career, dubbing him "Iron Gloves" after he missed a number of catches.
The end of the innings was controversial; the captain Bill Lawry declared with Marsh eight runs short of a century[14][15] so he could get an extra hour of bowling before stumps.
When questioned by the press about his lost chance to make an historic century Marsh said he had gained forty runs instead of missing eight as he thought Lawry should have declared an hour earlier.
He raised the role of wicketkeeper to a more prominent status in a team with his acrobatic diving, raucous appeals and habit of throwing a ball high into the air upon completing a dismissal.
As the wicketkeeper, he made himself the focal point in the field and attempted to extract higher standards of concentration from both himself and his teammates.
[29] Some of his former proteges include Australian internationals wicketkeeper–batsman Adam Gilchrist and fast bowlers Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee.
[14] Marsh was the Director of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) national academy from October 2001 to September 2005.
[31] Marsh later criticised the ECB for releasing Troy Cooley, who had trained England's four pronged pace battery, and attacked Duncan Fletcher's selection of Geraint Jones as the wicket keeper ahead of Chris Read.
He felt the heat at times from former cricketers including Michael Slater for not selecting Usman Khawaja in the Australian playing XI especially during the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series in February 2016 in New Zealand.
[42] Marsh was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1982 New Year Honours and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.
[55] In 2010, he appeared in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, where it was revealed that his grandmother died after giving birth to one of his aunts, leading his grandfather to put their three children, including Marsh's father Ken, up for adoption.
His funeral service was held at the Adelaide Oval on 17 March, and was hosted by James Brayshaw; amongst the tributes included a recorded eulogy by Adam Gilchrist.