Carlos Martinez (football)
Encyclopedia
Carlos Martinez is an American football
placekicker
who is currently a free agent
of the Arena Football League
. He has also played in the af2
for the Fresno Frenzy
, in the National Football League
for the Dallas Cowboys
and from 2004–2006, and for the Dallas Desperados
in the AFL.
and was a letterman and a star in football
and wrestling
. In football, he was a three-time All-State honoree and set the Nebraska
prep record for career field goal
s with 28 field goals. In wrestling, he won the state championship as a senior.
at Buena Vista University
, and was a four-year letterman in football as a kicker. He was a three-time All-America
selection, a three-time All-IIAC
honoree. As a senior, he was also named the NCAA Division III Kicker of the Year and as a junior, he was named the team Special Teams Player of the Year. He is the all-time field goal leader at Buena Vista with 48 and second all-time in Division III. Martinez also excelled as a punter in college, with an average exceeding 40 yards. Martinez capped off his senior season at BVU in 2002 with a selection to play for the American Football Coaches Association
Division III All-Star Team which represented the United States
against the Mexican
National Team in the 2001 Aztec Bowl
. Martinez was named the USA MVP by the media in attendance as he averaged 55.2 per punt (8-441 yds.) to consistently pin Mexico deep in its own end in the contest. He returned to BVU in the fall of 2006 as an assistant football coach before being called up by the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys released Martinez in May 2007.
in the Arena Football League. He kicked a league-high 13 field goals, and made 104 PATs. His performance earned him another signing for an outdoor American football league, with the Florida Tuskers.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. He has also played in the af2
Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
for the Fresno Frenzy
Fresno Frenzy
The Fresno Frenzy were an expansion af2 team for the 2002 season. Fresno was joined by the Albany Conquest, Bakersfield Blitz, Cape Fear Wildcats, Hawaiian Islanders, Mobile Wizards, Mohegan Wolves, New Haven Ninjas, San Diego Riptide & the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers...
, in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and from 2004–2006, and for the Dallas Desperados
Dallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....
in the AFL.
High school career
Martinez attended Papillion La Vista Senior High SchoolPapillion La Vista Senior High School
-Papillion La Vista Senior High School, often referred to as Papio, PLHS, North or "Old School", is located in Papillion, Nebraska, and is operated by the Papillion-La Vista Public School District....
and was a letterman and a star in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
. In football, he was a three-time All-State honoree and set the Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
prep record for career field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
s with 28 field goals. In wrestling, he won the state championship as a senior.
College career
Martinez played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Buena Vista University
Buena Vista University
Buena Vista University is a private 4-year college located in Storm Lake, Iowa. Founded in 1891 as Buena Vista College, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university's campus is situated on the shores of Storm Lake, a natural lake...
, and was a four-year letterman in football as a kicker. He was a three-time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
selection, a three-time All-IIAC
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is an College Athletic Conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member teams are located in the state of Iowa.-History:...
honoree. As a senior, he was also named the NCAA Division III Kicker of the Year and as a junior, he was named the team Special Teams Player of the Year. He is the all-time field goal leader at Buena Vista with 48 and second all-time in Division III. Martinez also excelled as a punter in college, with an average exceeding 40 yards. Martinez capped off his senior season at BVU in 2002 with a selection to play for the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
Division III All-Star Team which represented the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
against the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
National Team in the 2001 Aztec Bowl
Aztec Bowl
The Aztec Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned college division/minor or Division III post-season bowl game that has been played intermittently since at least 1950....
. Martinez was named the USA MVP by the media in attendance as he averaged 55.2 per punt (8-441 yds.) to consistently pin Mexico deep in its own end in the contest. He returned to BVU in the fall of 2006 as an assistant football coach before being called up by the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys released Martinez in May 2007.
Professional career
In 2010, Martinez returned for the Orlando PredatorsOrlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
in the Arena Football League. He kicked a league-high 13 field goals, and made 104 PATs. His performance earned him another signing for an outdoor American football league, with the Florida Tuskers.