Abe Martin (Illinois coach)
Morris Glenn Martin (January 19, 1906 – April 17, 1997),[1] also known as Abe Martin, was an American football player, coach of football, basketball and baseball, and college athletics administrator. He was the fifth head football coach at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU), serving from 1939 to 1949 and compiling a record of 31–42–5.[2] Martin was the school's head basketball coach from 1943 to 1946, tallying a mark of 43–20, head baseball coach from 1947 to 1965, amassing a record of 281–156–2. He was also the athletic director from 1945 to 1953.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 19, 1906 Burnt Prairie, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 17, 1997 (aged 91) Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1929–1931 | Southern Illinois |
| 1932 | Chicago Cardinals |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1933–1935 | Fairfield HS (IL) |
| 1936 | Pontiac HS (IL) |
| 1937 | Princeton HS (IL) |
| 1938 | Southern Illinois (assistant) |
| 1939–1949 | Southern Illinois |
| Basketball | |
| 1933–1936 | Fairfield HS (IL) |
| 1936–1937 | Pontiac HS (IL) |
| 1937–1938 | Princeton HS (IL) |
| 1943–1946 | Southern Illinois |
| Baseball | |
| 1947–1965 | Southern Illinois |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1945–1953 | Southern Illinois |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 31–42–5 (college football) 43–20 (college basketball) 281–156–2 (college baseball) |
| Tournaments | Basketball 7–1 (NAIA) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 1 IIAC (1947) Basketball 1 NAIA (1946) | |
On April 30, 1972, Southern Illinois' baseball field was dedicated in honor of Martin, who retired from the athletic department in 1971.[3] The field was later renamed in honor of a different coach in 2014.
Coaching career
Martin began his coaching career in 1933 at Fairfield High School in Fairfield, Illinois.[4] He moved to Pontiac High School in Pontiac, Illinois in 1936 and then to Princeton High School in Princeton, Illinois a year later.[5] He was hired at Southern Illinois Normal University—now known as Southern Illinois University Carbondale—as an assistant football coach in 1938. Martin succeeded William McAndrew as head football coach at Southern Illinois in 1939.[6]
Death
Martin died on April 17, 1997, at a retirement home Springfield, Illinois.[7][8]
Head coaching record
College football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois Maroons (Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1939–1949) | |||||||||
| 1939 | Southern Illinois | 0–8 | 0–4 | 8th | |||||
| 1940 | Southern Illinois | 2–5–1 | 0–3–1 | T–6th | |||||
| 1941 | Southern Illinois | 5–2–1 | 2–1–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1942 | Southern Illinois | 2–4 | 1–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1943 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1944 | Southern Illinois | 3–3 | 2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1945 | Southern Illinois | 4–1–2 | 2–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1946 | Southern Illinois | 4–4 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1947 | Southern Illinois | 7–2–1 | 3–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1948 | Southern Illinois | 2–6 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1949 | Southern Illinois | 2–7 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| Southern Illinois: | 31–42–5 | 13–22 | |||||||
| Total: | 31–42–5 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- "Abe Martin's obituary". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
- SIU all-time football coaching records Archived August 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- "Abe Martin Field". SIU Salukis. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
- "Martin Is Named Fairfield Coach". Daily Republican-Register. Mount Carmel, Illinois. May 5, 1933. p. 4. Retrieved November 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
. - "Coach Martin Is To Take New Post". Daily Republican-Register. Mount Carmel, Illinois. June 4, 1937. p. 4. Retrieved November 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- ""Abe" Martin Will Coach Southern's Football '39 Team". The Daily Independent. Murphysboro, Illinois. July 29, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved November 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- Underwood, Rick (April 18, 1997). "Martin mentor to many". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 1D. Retrieved November 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- Underwood, Rick (April 18, 1997). "Martin remembered (continued)". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 3D. Retrieved November 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Abe Martin at Find a Grave