 Martin, circa 1949 | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Center, linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 10, 1922 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 2008 (aged 85) California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 238 lb (108 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Princeton (1940–1941), Navy (1943–1944) |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
John Taber Martin (April 10, 1922 - January 8, 2008) was an American football player.
Martin was born in 1922 in Flint, Michigan. [1] He moved to Toledo, Ohio, as a boy and attended Point Place High School and later Waite High School. [2] enrolled at Princeton University and played freshman football in 1940, [1] and varsity football as a reserve center for the 1941 Princeton Tigers football team. [2] [3] He was then accepted to the United States Naval Academy where he played for the Navy Midshipmen football teams in 1943 and 1944. [1] [2] He was selected as a second-team center on the 1943 All-Eastern football team, [4] and the second-team center on the 1944 All-America football teams selected by the United Press and The Sporting News. [5] [6] After his time at the Naval Academy, Martin spent two years on active duty with the Navy. [2] In 1946, he played for the Navy's Bainbridge Commodores football team. [7]
After his discharge from the Navy, Martin signed to play professional football for the Los Angeles Rams. [8] He played at the center and linebacker positions for the Rams during the 1947, 1948, and 1949 seasons, appearing in a total of 35 games, 17 of them as a starter. [9] He recovered three fumbles and intercepted one pass. [1] In April 1950, the Rams traded Martin to the Washington Redskins. [10] However, he did not play for the Redskins. [1]
After his football career ended, Martin became a professional negotiator. He married Evelyn Buchele, and they had two sons and a daughter. [2]