About Inductee

By his own admission, Chris Martin was a pretty good football player in high school, but nothing special. But that would change. As a lineman for coach Max Burleson at Huntsvilles J. O. Johnson in the late 1970s, Martin was good enough to be awarded a scholarship to Auburn University, where he became a four-year letterman (1979-82) and a three-year mainstay at linebacker, first for coach Doug Barfield and then for coach Pat Dye. Martin still ranks sixth on Auburns all-time list for career tackles (374), trailing only Freddie Smith, Gregg Carr, Darrel Crawford, Anthony Harris and Quinton Riggins. Although he was overlooked in the 12-round 1983 NFL draft, Martin hooked on as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints. He went on to play linebacker for 12 years in the NFL, moving to Minnesota (1984-87), Kansas City (1988-92) and closing his career with Los Angeles Rams (1993-94). I was your typical 99-to-1 shot after college, says Martin, only this time the long shot paid off. Martin has fond memories from all three stages of his football career. He still remembers the day at practice when Johnson line coach Paul Parvin now the principal at Lee got his attention with a swift boot in the rear end. I was dogging it and Coach Parvin woke me up, recalls Martin. He said, Come on, Chris! Youre better than this! I never forgot that lesson. His top memory in college came in his final regular-season game as a senior when Auburn snapped a nine-game losing streak to Alabama, winning 23-22 at Legion Field. Fortunately, Ill never have to say that I never beat Alabama, Martin said. That wouldnt have been good. In the NFL, he played in 178 games, 90 as a starter. His shining moment in the NFL occurred on Oct. 13, 1991, when the Chiefs routed the Miami Dolphins 42-7, highlighted by a play when Martin scooped up a Miami fumble on the goal line and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. You always remember something like that, says Martin, who ended his NFL career with 610 tackles, 20 sacks and 13 fumble recoveries, including four for touchdowns. Born Dec. 19, 1960 in Huntsville, Chris Martin was the 11th of Ozellie Hambone Martin and Florence Ford Martins 12 children. The kids grew up on their great-grandfathers family farm on Moores Mill Road. Chris has a BA degree in Adult Education from Auburn and a Masters in Business from Avila University of Kansas City, Mo. After his football career ended, he owned his own business, Crown Pro Stationery, Inc., in Kansas City (1995-2009). He is now director of Heroes of the Locker Room, a small private company that focuses on providing guidance and support for parents, students and teachers. Martin lives in Kansas City his wife, Yolanda, and their children, Claudio and Avanni.