Basic HTML Version
FirstDown
When David Martin was a sopho-
more in high school, he did not
want to play football. Basketball
was Martin’Äôs first love, and he’Äôd
been playing for his Virginia high
school ever since his military family
had returned to the United States
from a tour in Germany. ’ÄúI loved
watching it, loved the sport itself,’Äù
he says, ’Äúbut I never really wanted
to play football.’Äù
So, in 1994, whenMartin’Äôs new
high school basketball coach told the
team they needed to play another
sport during the basketball off-sea-
son’Äî’ÄúAnd not just sit around,’Äù says
Martin’Äîhe chose to run cross-coun-
try.’ÄúI ranmy sophomore year,’Äù he
says,’Äúand then pretty much decided
I’Äôd better play football instead.’ÄùThe
next year, his junior year, Martin
joined the Norfolk High School
Pilots football team.’ÄúI figured I’Äôd
sit on the bench until basketball
season started,’Äù he says.’ÄúThat
was my goal.’Äù
Instead, the football coach
put him on the field as a wide
receiver. In his first pre-season
game, Martin caught 8 passes for
150 yards and 2 touchdowns.That
same year, his first year playing
football, he started receiving
recruiting letters from some of
the nation’Äôs best college teams:
Notre Dame, Florida State, and
the University of Tennessee, among
others. At first, he thought the let-
ters were just a prank his coach was
playing on him’Äîbut they were
real.’ÄúFrom then on, people said,
’ÄòI guess you’Äôve got a career in this,’Äô
so I kept at it,’Äù says Martin.
The deciding factor for him,
jokes Martin, was when his football
coach told him that NFL rosters
were much bigger than NBA teams,
so he had a lot better shot at landing
a spot. It didn’Äôt hurt that
Super Prep
magazine named him the number
nine prospect in his state during his
senior year, either. He was also an
all-district and all-Tidewater Area
player, and he was named the con-
ference offensive player of the year.
ComingHome
toRockyTop
Before his senior year of high
school, in 1996, Martin attended
a football camp hosted by Notre
Dame; immediately after he orally
committed to the Fighting Irish. ’ÄúI
was a Notre Dame fan growing up
and always wanted to play for [the
head football coach] Lou Holtz,’Äù he
says. During that year, however,
Holtz left with little explanation,
and Martin reconsidered his choice.
’ÄúThat hurt me, because I gave
someone my word,’Äù he says. ’ÄúThat
was a hard phone call to make.’Äù The
new coach understood, however,
and Martin went on to visit other
schools, including the University of
Tennessee at Knoxville.
’ÄúI came to an actual game when Pey-
tonManning was still here, and UT
was playing Alabama. I hadn’Äôt seen
Tennessee much, so I didn’Äôt know
how big the Tennessee-Alabama
game actually was. I was in the
stands, and it was so real. Tennes-
see definitely had the heads up on
everybody, and no one could top it,’Äù
says Martin of his decision. When he
heard that Manning was returning
to the university and the team for his
senior year, he didn’Äôt need any more
incentive to sign with the University
of Tennessee.
Being on his own for the first time
in college, away fromhome, was
hard for Martin.’ÄúI had to find my
way, so I did,’Äù he says.’ÄúPlaying ball
here was great; I loved it. I definitely
grew a lot.’Äù
Martin proudly tells of playing
withManning during his freshman
year.’ÄúHe was a great guy. I walked to
class with him a couple of times’Äîit
was weird,’Äù he says.’ÄúPeople were
honking horns and so on, and I
knew it wasn’Äôt for me.’Äù Later, before
the draft Manning chose Martin
to throwwith him in front of the
coaches.’ÄúI was just a freshman, so
I was a little nervous. But I guess I
wasn’Äôt as nervous as he was, because
he was the one getting drafted!’Äù
recalls Martin.
Looking back, Martin realizes how
awed he was by the experience of
playing for Tennessee. In the huddle
before his first game in Neyland
Martin never thought growing
up that he would play profes-
sional football, but after the
2001 draft, he spent seven years
of his 11-year NFL career playing
for the Green Bay Packers.
cityviewmag.com 89
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Photo courtesy of
JimBiever / Green Bay Packers