Ben Martin (American football)
Benjamin S. Martin (June 27, 1921 – July 24, 2004) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Virginia from 1956 to 1957 and the United States Air Force Academy from 1958 to 1977, compiling a career head coaching record of 102–116–10 (.469).
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 28, 1921 Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | July 24, 2004 (aged 83) Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1941 | Princeton |
| 1942–1944 | Navy |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1949–1954 | Navy (assistant) |
| 1956–1957 | Virginia |
| 1958–1977 | Air Force |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 102–116–10 |
| Bowls | 0–2–1 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1945–1949 |
| Rank | Lieutenant (junior grade) |
| Unit | USS Helena |
| Battles/wars | World War II Cold War |
A native of Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, Martin played college football at Princeton University in 1941 and then moved to the United States Naval Academy; he was a member of the class of 1946, which graduated early in 1945 due to World War II. After sea duty on the USS Helena, Martin was an assistant coach at Navy from 1949 to 1954; that last team was 8–2, among the best in program history, and won the Sugar Bowl. His first team at Air Force in 1958 was undefeated (with two ties), played in the Cotton Bowl, and finished in the top ten in both polls.[1][2][3]
Martin died at age 83 in 2004 in Colorado Springs, Colorado,[1][2][3] and was buried in Maryland at the Naval Academy Cemetery. He was inducted into the Air Force Falcons Hall of Fame in 2009.[4]
Head coaching record Edit
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Cavaliers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1956–1957) | |||||||||
| 1956 | Virginia | 3–7 | 1–4 | 8th | |||||
| 1957 | Virginia | 3–6–1 | 2–4 | 6th | |||||
| Virginia: | 6–13–1 | 3–8 | |||||||
| Air Force Falcons (Independent) (1958–1977) | |||||||||
| 1958 | Air Force | 9–0–2 | T Cotton | 8 | 6 | ||||
| 1959 | Air Force | 5–4–1 | |||||||
| 1960 | Air Force | 4–6 | |||||||
| 1961 | Air Force | 3–7 | |||||||
| 1962 | Air Force | 5–5 | |||||||
| 1963 | Air Force | 7–4 | L Gator | ||||||
| 1964 | Air Force | 4–5–1 | |||||||
| 1965 | Air Force | 3–6–1 | |||||||
| 1966 | Air Force | 4–6 | |||||||
| 1967 | Air Force | 2–6–2 | |||||||
| 1968 | Air Force | 7–3 | |||||||
| 1969 | Air Force | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1970 | Air Force | 9–3 | L Sugar | 11 | 16 | ||||
| 1971 | Air Force | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1972 | Air Force | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1973 | Air Force | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1974 | Air Force | 2–9 | |||||||
| 1975 | Air Force | 2–8–1 | |||||||
| 1976 | Air Force | 4–7 | |||||||
| 1977 | Air Force | 2–8–1 | |||||||
| Air Force: | 96–103–9 | ||||||||
| Total: | 102–116–10 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
References Edit
- ^ a b "Ben Martin, 83, Coach Of Air Force Football Team". The New York Times. August 1, 2004. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ^ a b "Legendary football coach Ben Martin passes away". U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics. July 24, 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "Navy football great Ben Martin passes away". U.S. Naval Academy Athletics. July 26, 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Hall of Fame". U.S. Air Force Academy Athletics. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
External links Edit
- Ben Martin at Find a Grave