Mike Martin (wide receiver)

Martin grew up in Washington, D.C.,[1] and attended Eastern High School.[2]

Martin played football at the University of Illinois, where during his senior year he caught a record 77 receptions for 1,068 yards.[3] In four years for the Fighting Illini, he caught 143 passes for 2,300 yards (a 16.1 average) with 15 touchdowns. He also returned punts and kicoffs.[4]

As of the beginning of the Fighting Illini's 2022 season, Martin ranks fourth all-time in single-season receptions (77), ninth in career receptions (143), fifth in career receiving yardage (2,300), and tied for fourth in single-game receptions with 12 against Ohio State in 1982.[4]

Martin was chosen by the Bengals in the eighth round of the 1983 NFL Draft. In his seven seasons, he caught 67 passes for 1,017 yards (a 15.1 average) with 6 receiving touchdowns, with his most productive receiving year 1987 with 20 receptions for 394 yards.[5] He returned 140 punts for 1,381 yards (a 9.9 average), including a league-leading 15.7 yards per return in 1983. He also returned 75 kicks for 1,643 yards, a 21.9 average.

He was a member of the Bengals' team which went to the 1989 Super Bowl, won by the San Francisco 49ers, 20–16.[5] Martin did not play, as his season ended with an injury in the season's 6th game.[6]

After his playing career ended, Martin operated several night clubs in the Cincinnati area.[3] In 2002, Martin was named coach of Taft High School in Cincinnati, tapped to revive a program which had been disbanded due to lack of student participation.[7] He coached the Senators for eight years, compiling a record of 44–28.[8]

Martin met his wife, Michelle, at Illinois where she was cheerleader. They married in 1986.[3] They currently live in Chicago, where his family including daughter Morgan owns several smoothie bars and a fitness facility.

Martin is vice president of the Marcus Martin Foundation, named for his late son, who died at from a pulmonary embolism at age 25 in 2014. The foundation provides financial support for college-bound high school students, conducts free youth football camps, and educates about the dangers of pulmonary embolism.[6]