One Obsessed Fan: My tribute to a Legend

LEGEND'S FIELD
Written by Frigoc1




When you think of the word "legend", you think of someone who has ascended to the greatest level in something. Someone who has accomplished feats so extraordinary, that no one believed it was possible. Someone who works as a team player and is a true leader. I am not talking about a motivational speaker, nor any politician. This legend that I speak of is a very honest, hard-working man who is very unselfish. He is Curtis Martin.
Curtis James Martin Jr. was born May 1, 1973 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a child, Martin was very active in the community, doing alot of community service. During his time doing community service, Martin met new friends whom he idoled for being so talented at football. Martin would later start playing football, and had started a lifelong dream that he had always had. Martin attended Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburch, Pennsylvania where he excelled as a star runningback which led to a full scholarship to Pittsburgh University. Martin attended the university for four years and got invited to the National Football League draft.
The first two rounds, Curtis Martin did not hear his name. But, as Bill Parcells of the New England Patriots stepped up to the podium, he announced, "With the 74th overall pick in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft, the New England Patriots select runningback Curtis Martin of Pittsburgh University.
Martin would prove to be the right choice as he would blow past his competition with 1,487 yards, 14 touchdowns, a Pro Bowl selection, and the Rookie of the Year award. The following season, Martin rushed for a little less yards with 1,152, but gave the New England Patriots their first trip to the Super Bowl. Though they did not win it, Martin would be remembered for that as he would get another Pro Bowl selection. In 1997, Curtis Martin had another 1,000 yard season, but did not make the Pro Bowl for the first time. After the 1997 season, Martin, a restricted free agent, signed an offer sheet with the New York Jets for $36 million over six years. The Patriots did not match the Jets' offer and received first- and third-round draft picks as compensation. Thus, Martin went to the Jets, and was reunited his former Patriot coach Bill Parcells. Though, in 1998, Curtis Martin redeemed himself by getting 1,287 yards, 8 touchdowns, and his third Pro Bowl. In 1999, Martin again did not make the Pro Bowl, but he still managed to get nearly 1,500 rushing yards.
At the millenium, Curtis Martin, for the second straight time, did not make the Pro Bowl. He rushed for 9 touchdowns, and 1,204 yards. Though the Jets were in tough times and weren't posting good regular season records, Martin again made the Pro Bowl by getting 10 touchdowns, and 1,513 yards. In 2002 and 2003, Martin missed the Pro Bowl, and got, respectibly, 1,094 yards, and 1,308 yards.
Then thought to be past his prime, Martin proved all the critics wrong by capturing his fifth and last Pro Bowl, the 2004 Rushing Title by 1 yard, 12 touchdowns, Fed Ex Ground Player of the Year, and 1,697 yards. Everything was going well until, in 2005, Martin had 735 yards and was on pace for another 1,000 yard mark, but was plagued by what was thought to be a small injury. This was not a small injury at all. It kept him out for the rest of the 2004 season, which ended the Jets' Super Bowl hopes, and all of the 2006 season. On July 26, 2007, Martin officially announced his retirement. He will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2011. His legacy will never be forgotten. Below, are Curtis Martin's statistics and accomplishments.


Accomplishments:

Martin rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first 10 professional seasons, a feat previously accomplished only by Barry Sanders. On November 6, 2005, he scored his 100th career touchdown, joining an elite group of only 16 players to do so. Martin is currently 4th on the all-time rushing yardage list, and on November 27, 2005, in the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints, he became the 4th running back in NFL history, behind Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, and Barry Sanders, to pass the 14,000-yard rushing mark. He is the all-time Jets leader with 10,302 rushing yards with the team. He is also fourth in the same category for the Patriots with 3799 yards. Additionally, Martin happens to have a 'perfect' passer rating of 158.3: 2 completions on 2 pass attempts, 2 TD passes, and an average of 18.0 yards per attempt.

Stats:

Year Team Games Attempts Yards YPC TDs

1995 New England Patriots 16 368 1,487 4.0 14
1996 New England Patriots 16 316 1,152 3.6 14
1997 New England Patriots 13 274 1,160 4.2 4
1998 New York Jets 15 369 1,287 3.5 8
1999 New York Jets 16 367 1,464 4.0 5
2000 New York Jets 16 316 1,204 3.8 9
2001 New York Jets 16 333 1,513 4.5 10
2002 New York Jets 16 261 1,094 4.2 7
2003 New York Jets 16 323 1,308 4.0 2
2004 New York Jets 16 371 1,697 4.6 12
2005 New York Jets 12 220 735 3.3 5
Career NE / NYJ 168 3,518 14,101 4.0 90


Stat Rankings:

3,518 career rushing attempts (3rd all-time)
14,101 career rushing yards (4th all-time)
17,430 career yards from scrimmage (7th all-time)
90 career rushing touchdowns (12th all-time)
100 career rushing/receiving touchdowns (19th all-time)


Personal:

Martin is often spotted courtside at New York Knicks games and attends shows at New York movie premieres. He made Esquire Magazine's best-dressed list in 2004. In earlier years, he was linked romantically to singer Toni Braxton, an outdated fact he later asked the Jets to remove from his media-guide biography (along with a child to whom he was a godfather, not father). He has been linked until recently with Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams, a fellow devout Christian[5] but is currently married to Shakara Ledard. He resides in Garden City, New York. Chris Berman from ESPN gave him the nickname Curtis "My Favorite" Martin, a play on words from the 60's television show My Favorite Martian. Martin is also in many charities such as UNICEF, and the United Way, and is giving much of his money to homeless shelters. As of summer 2007, he also is pursuing ownership of an NFL team.


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thank you......now i just gotta wait 3 more years till i can make my "Curtis Martin Hall of Fame induction ceremony thread"

 

im gonna burn you alive for that lightsout! no, but seriously, he will!

 

don't 4get to vote!