Harvey Martin
Encyclopedia
Harvey Banks Martin was an American football
defensive end
in the National Football League
for the Dallas Cowboys
from 1973 until 1983. He started playing football in high school, only because he overheard his father tell his mother that he was ashamed that his son did not play like his friends' children. He eventually starred at South Oak Cliff High School
and East Texas State University before being drafted in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft
.
, which had become the first integrated high school in Dallas. That year, Martin suited up for a football
team for the first time in his life. The team went 9-1 that year, though Martin was a backup offensive tackle and only played whenever they had a sizable lead.
That would change by his senior year, when in the spring game he got a chance to fill in on defense, which eventually convinced the coaches to move him to defensive tackle. By the third game of his senior year he was a starter and by the end of the season he was the best lineman on a 12-1 team that won the Dallas City championship and went on to the state quarterfinals. Still, he was so skinny and so late-blooming that the only college that offered him a scholarship was East Texas State in Commerce (now named Texas A&M University–Commerce
).
Outside of Dwight White
being his roommate, his first two college seasons playing as a defensive end
went undistinguished. But he evolved into the best defensive end
in school history. During his senior year in 1972, in route to leading the school to a national title, he was named to the NAIA
All-America
n, All-Texas, and All-Lone Star Conference Teams.
Martin is one of the most recognized names in the history of Texas A&M University–Commerce
athletics, who was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1987. Texas A&M University–Commerce
in 2008 started hosting the Harvey Martin Classic where the school's football
team plays against another team from the Lone Star Conference
.
In 2007 he was selected to the Lone Star Conference
’s 75th Anniversary football
team and was named the LSC
defensive player of the decade for the 1970s. In 2010 he was inducted into the Lone Star Conference
Hall Of Fame
.
in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft
. His rookie year he played as a pass rushing specialist, only on passing downs and still led the team in quarterback sacks with 9, tying Willie Townes
rookie team record.
During his first years with the Cowboys, the coaching staff looked to instill in Martin a sense of aggressiveness, confidence and mental toughness, that didn't come naturally to him. He eventually improved his physical strength, improved his technique practicing against hall of famer Rayfield Wright
and learned to become an emotional player and fierce competitor, so much so, that he was nicknamed "Too Mean". By his third year in 1975
, he was a full time starter.
His 1977 season
was one of the greatest ever by an NFL player. In a 14-game season he totaled 85 tackles and a league-leading 23 sacks, he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a consensus All-Pro
selection, a key component of the Cowboys winning Super Bowl XII
, and a co-MVP of the game with Randy White
.
As part of the famed Doomsday Defense, "The Beautiful" aka "Too Mean" Martin led the Cowboys in sacks seven times. Martin went to the Pro Bowl
four times and was co-Super Bowl MVP
in Super Bowl XII
(shared with teammate Randy White
). He still holds team records for most sacks as a rookie (9 - 1973
), in a season (23 - 1977
), and career (114) Former Cowboys GM Tex Schramm
stated "He'll be remembered as one of the great Cowboys of the golden years ... He was a great player, one of the first great pass rushers." Martin followed up his 23-sack 1977 season
with a 16-sack performance in 1978
, 10 in 1979
, 12 in 1980
,10 in 1981
, 8 in 1982
and 2 in 1983
. To this day he is considered the greatest defensive end
in Dallas Cowboys
history.
He remained the team sack leader or co-leader every year, but his totals started to dwindled as his personal problems (financial problems and addictions) grew bigger.
Martin, along with Don Meredith
, is among the few players to play his high school (Dallas South Oak Cliff High School
), college (East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University–Commerce
), and pro (Dallas Cowboys) career in and around the Dallas, Texas, area. He never played a home game, on any level, outside of North Texas.
In 2009, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
. He is also a member of the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.
, participated in the battle royal at WrestleMania 2
(1986) for World Wrestling Federation
, and appeared several times in World Class Championship Wrestling
and the Global Wrestling Federation
as a ringside commentator.
With football gone, many inner demons came to light, including bankruptcies, domestic violence, and polysubstance abuse. Although coach Tom Landry
sent him to rehab
in 1983, Martin continued to abuse drugs and alcohol. He hit rock-bottom in 1996, when "Too Mean" was jailed on domestic violence
and cocaine
charges, where he received probation and spent the next eight months in a court-ordered rehabilitation program.
Afterwards, he was given a job selling chemical products by former teammate and Cowboys offensive lineman John Niland. He was able to turn his life around, staying clean and sober for the final years of his life, giving anti-drug speeches to both schoolchildren and recovering addicts.
Martin died of pancreatic cancer
on December 24, 2001 at the age of 51. As of June 1, 2010, he is the only Super Bowl
Most Valuable Player
who is deceased.
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...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
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...
from 1973 until 1983. He started playing football in high school, only because he overheard his father tell his mother that he was ashamed that his son did not play like his friends' children. He eventually starred at South Oak Cliff High School
South Oak Cliff High School
South Oak Cliff High School is a public secondary school located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas...
and East Texas State University before being drafted in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft
1973 NFL Draft
The 1973 National Football League Draft was held on January 30–31, 1973.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
.
Early years
In 1967, Martin's junior year in high school, he transferred to South Oak Cliff High SchoolSouth Oak Cliff High School
South Oak Cliff High School is a public secondary school located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas...
, which had become the first integrated high school in Dallas. That year, Martin suited up for a football
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...
team for the first time in his life. The team went 9-1 that year, though Martin was a backup offensive tackle and only played whenever they had a sizable lead.
That would change by his senior year, when in the spring game he got a chance to fill in on defense, which eventually convinced the coaches to move him to defensive tackle. By the third game of his senior year he was a starter and by the end of the season he was the best lineman on a 12-1 team that won the Dallas City championship and went on to the state quarterfinals. Still, he was so skinny and so late-blooming that the only college that offered him a scholarship was East Texas State in Commerce (now named Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce is a state university located in Commerce, Texas and a member of the Texas A&M University System, the second largest university within the system behind Texas A&M University in College Station....
).
Outside of Dwight White
Dwight White
Dwight Lynn White was an American football defensive end who played for ten seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League and was a member of the famed Steel Curtain defense....
being his roommate, his first two college seasons playing as a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
went undistinguished. But he evolved into the best defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
in school history. During his senior year in 1972, in route to leading the school to a national title, he was named to the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
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...
n, All-Texas, and All-Lone Star Conference Teams.
Martin is one of the most recognized names in the history of Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce is a state university located in Commerce, Texas and a member of the Texas A&M University System, the second largest university within the system behind Texas A&M University in College Station....
athletics, who was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1987. Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce is a state university located in Commerce, Texas and a member of the Texas A&M University System, the second largest university within the system behind Texas A&M University in College Station....
in 2008 started hosting the Harvey Martin Classic where the school's football
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...
team plays against another team from the Lone Star Conference
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
.
In 2007 he was selected to the Lone Star Conference
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
’s 75th Anniversary football
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...
team and was named the LSC
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
defensive player of the decade for the 1970s. In 2010 he was inducted into the Lone Star Conference
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
Hall Of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
.
Professional career
He was drafted by the Dallas CowboysDallas 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...
in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft
1973 NFL Draft
The 1973 National Football League Draft was held on January 30–31, 1973.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
. His rookie year he played as a pass rushing specialist, only on passing downs and still led the team in quarterback sacks with 9, tying Willie Townes
Willie Townes
Willie Carroll Townes is a former professional American football defensive end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1966 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Tulsa.-Early years:Willie Townes was born on July 21, 1943...
rookie team record.
During his first years with the Cowboys, the coaching staff looked to instill in Martin a sense of aggressiveness, confidence and mental toughness, that didn't come naturally to him. He eventually improved his physical strength, improved his technique practicing against hall of famer Rayfield Wright
Rayfield Wright
Larry Rayfield Wright is a former American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.-High school and college years:...
and learned to become an emotional player and fierce competitor, so much so, that he was nicknamed "Too Mean". By his third year in 1975
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
, he was a full time starter.
His 1977 season
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
was one of the greatest ever by an NFL player. In a 14-game season he totaled 85 tackles and a league-leading 23 sacks, he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a consensus All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
selection, a key component of the Cowboys winning Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
, and a co-MVP of the game with Randy White
Randy White (American football)
Randall Lee "Randy" White is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker. He attended the University of Maryland from 1971 to 1974, and played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to 1988. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
.
As part of the famed Doomsday Defense, "The Beautiful" aka "Too Mean" Martin led the Cowboys in sacks seven times. Martin went to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
four times and was co-Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
in Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
(shared with teammate Randy White
Randy White (American football)
Randall Lee "Randy" White is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker. He attended the University of Maryland from 1971 to 1974, and played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to 1988. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
). He still holds team records for most sacks as a rookie (9 - 1973
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
), in a season (23 - 1977
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
), and career (114) Former Cowboys GM Tex Schramm
Tex Schramm
Texas Earnest "Tex" Schramm, Jr. was the original president and general manager of the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys franchise. Schramm became the head of the Cowboys when the former expansion team started operations in 1960.-Early life and career:Despite his name, Schramm was not born...
stated "He'll be remembered as one of the great Cowboys of the golden years ... He was a great player, one of the first great pass rushers." Martin followed up his 23-sack 1977 season
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
with a 16-sack performance in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
, 10 in 1979
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
, 12 in 1980
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
,10 in 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
, 8 in 1982
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
and 2 in 1983
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
. To this day he is considered the greatest defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
in 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...
history.
He remained the team sack leader or co-leader every year, but his totals started to dwindled as his personal problems (financial problems and addictions) grew bigger.
Martin, along with Don Meredith
Don Meredith
Joseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League . He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player...
, is among the few players to play his high school (Dallas South Oak Cliff High School
South Oak Cliff High School
South Oak Cliff High School is a public secondary school located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas...
), college (East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce is a state university located in Commerce, Texas and a member of the Texas A&M University System, the second largest university within the system behind Texas A&M University in College Station....
), and pro (Dallas Cowboys) career in and around the Dallas, Texas, area. He never played a home game, on any level, outside of North Texas.
In 2009, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
Texas Sports Hall of Fame
The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Texas sports". It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Once it made its first induction in 1951, Texas became the first U.S...
. He is also a member of the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Following his retirement in 1984, Martin briefly served as an NFL analyst for NBCNFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
, participated in the battle royal at WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
(1986) for World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, and appeared several times in World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling
World Class Championship Wrestling ' was a regional professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by 1966 it was run by Southwest Sports, Inc., whose president, Jack Adkisson, was better known as wrestler Fritz Von Erich...
and the Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation was a professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. On many weeks, the promotion provided programming five days a week airing at 4 p.m...
as a ringside commentator.
With football gone, many inner demons came to light, including bankruptcies, domestic violence, and polysubstance abuse. Although coach Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
sent him to rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
in 1983, Martin continued to abuse drugs and alcohol. He hit rock-bottom in 1996, when "Too Mean" was jailed on domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
charges, where he received probation and spent the next eight months in a court-ordered rehabilitation program.
Afterwards, he was given a job selling chemical products by former teammate and Cowboys offensive lineman John Niland. He was able to turn his life around, staying clean and sober for the final years of his life, giving anti-drug speeches to both schoolchildren and recovering addicts.
Martin died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
on December 24, 2001 at the age of 51. As of June 1, 2010, he is the only Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
who is deceased.