Jack Martin (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Jack Martin is best known as head basketball
coach of NCAA Division I Lamar University
in Beaumont, Texas
. Martin Coached the Cardinals
for 25 seasons in both the Lone Star
and Southland Conferences
.
in 1951. Martin coached Billy Tubbs from 1955-1957, Tubbs would later become the first player or student to return and coach Lamar Basketball. In 1964 Lamar began it's transition into division I and the Southland Conference
. The highlight of Jack Martin's career would be his 1968-1969 squad that earned a #1 national ranking in the Associated Press college division poll. Martin's squad that year won its first 15 games of the season against very strong competition.
The cardinals won their first game against Pepperdine 65-64 then traveled to Memphis and beat a strong Memphis State team, 82-69. A week later, they quieted a stunned crowd in College Station's G. Rollie White Coliseum
by strumming Southwest Conference champion Texas A&M, 98-87.
With the Cardinals sitting at 6-0 and sixth-ranked University of Tulsa coming to town, most observers figured the good times were at an end. Instead, they kept rolling as Martin's flashy Cards decked Tulsa, 103-77.
"Since we had gone 8-17 the previous season, what that team did to start that year has to be one of the greatest surprises ever in Lamar basketball, at least up until that point," said Joe Lee Smith, then LU's director of sports information. "They beat a good Pepperdine team and an outstanding Memphis State team to get started, then they beat Texas A&M on the road, which was totally unexpected.
"Tulsa was ranked No. 6, but we kicked the dog out of them. That triggered a lot of national attention. It was the first year for us to be fully Division I, and after that win we started getting a few votes in the major college polls."
After the Cardinals held off Arkansas State 84-81 in Jonesboro to tie the school record of 12-straight wins, they rose to No. 18 in the United Press International major college poll. They were the only team ranked in both polls.
A few nights later, the prominent University of Houston Cougars, who had been to the Final Four the previous season, came to McDonald Gym. Coach Guy Lewis' Cougars had never lost to Lamar, up until this point. With 8:15 left in the game, the Cardinals trailed 56-44, but they rallied to go ahead 61-59 in the final minute. The Cougars scored in the final seconds, however, and the teams went into overtime tied at 61.
The overflow throng in McDonald Gym
and those viewing the game by closed-circuit television in a nearby dining hall erupted into bedlam when forward Jim Nicholson stole the ball and went in for a layup seconds after the overtime tipoff. Then, spindly guard Earl Dow popped in a corner jumper to give the Cards a four-point lead, and they controlled the rest of overtime, winning 71-65.
On a cold Feb. 1 night in Abilene, the record streak reached 15 games with an 85-72 victory over Abilene Christian. Two nights later on "The Stage" in Arlington, it ended with a 76-71 loss to Texas-Arlington.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach of NCAA Division I Lamar University
Lamar University
Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...
in Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
. Martin Coached the Cardinals
Lamar Cardinals men's basketball
The Lamar Cardinals basketball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Cardinals currently compete in the Southland Conference. Since 1984, the team has played its home games in the Montagne Center. The Cardinals basketball team plays in the 10,080 seat...
for 25 seasons in both the Lone Star
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...
and Southland Conferences
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
.
Lamar
Jack Marin was the first and longest serving head coach in Lamar's history. He came to Lamar after coaching three seasons at his Alma Mater Hardin-Simmons. Martin began coaching the cardinals as they entered the college division Lone Star ConferenceLone 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 1951. Martin coached Billy Tubbs from 1955-1957, Tubbs would later become the first player or student to return and coach Lamar Basketball. In 1964 Lamar began it's transition into division I and the Southland Conference
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
. The highlight of Jack Martin's career would be his 1968-1969 squad that earned a #1 national ranking in the Associated Press college division poll. Martin's squad that year won its first 15 games of the season against very strong competition.
The cardinals won their first game against Pepperdine 65-64 then traveled to Memphis and beat a strong Memphis State team, 82-69. A week later, they quieted a stunned crowd in College Station's G. Rollie White Coliseum
G. Rollie White Coliseum
The G. Rollie White Coliseum is an on-campus arena at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, in the United States. Often referred to as the "Jollie Rollie" or "The Holler House on the Brazos," the arena was the home of Texas A&M's Aggie volleyball team, which played there since its...
by strumming Southwest Conference champion Texas A&M, 98-87.
With the Cardinals sitting at 6-0 and sixth-ranked University of Tulsa coming to town, most observers figured the good times were at an end. Instead, they kept rolling as Martin's flashy Cards decked Tulsa, 103-77.
"Since we had gone 8-17 the previous season, what that team did to start that year has to be one of the greatest surprises ever in Lamar basketball, at least up until that point," said Joe Lee Smith, then LU's director of sports information. "They beat a good Pepperdine team and an outstanding Memphis State team to get started, then they beat Texas A&M on the road, which was totally unexpected.
"Tulsa was ranked No. 6, but we kicked the dog out of them. That triggered a lot of national attention. It was the first year for us to be fully Division I, and after that win we started getting a few votes in the major college polls."
After the Cardinals held off Arkansas State 84-81 in Jonesboro to tie the school record of 12-straight wins, they rose to No. 18 in the United Press International major college poll. They were the only team ranked in both polls.
A few nights later, the prominent University of Houston Cougars, who had been to the Final Four the previous season, came to McDonald Gym. Coach Guy Lewis' Cougars had never lost to Lamar, up until this point. With 8:15 left in the game, the Cardinals trailed 56-44, but they rallied to go ahead 61-59 in the final minute. The Cougars scored in the final seconds, however, and the teams went into overtime tied at 61.
The overflow throng in McDonald Gym
McDonald Gym
McDonald Gym is a volleyball gymnasium located on the campus of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas USA. The Gym has been home solely to the Lamar Lady Cardinal Volleyball Team since its renovation was completed in 2007...
and those viewing the game by closed-circuit television in a nearby dining hall erupted into bedlam when forward Jim Nicholson stole the ball and went in for a layup seconds after the overtime tipoff. Then, spindly guard Earl Dow popped in a corner jumper to give the Cards a four-point lead, and they controlled the rest of overtime, winning 71-65.
On a cold Feb. 1 night in Abilene, the record streak reached 15 games with an 85-72 victory over Abilene Christian. Two nights later on "The Stage" in Arlington, it ended with a 76-71 loss to Texas-Arlington.