Curtis Martin
Martin at a Times Square pep rally for the Jets in January 2010 prior to the AFC Championship Game
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| No. 28 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | May 1, 1973 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Pittsburgh (PA) Allderdice | ||||||||
| College: | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1995 / Round: 3 / Pick: 74 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Rushes: | 3,518 |
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| Rushing yards: | 14,101 |
| Rushing touchdowns: | 90 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Curtis James Martin Jr. (born May 1, 1973) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and New York Jets. Martin began his professional career with the Patriots, who selected him in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft. As a free agent in 1998, he joined the Jets where he finished his career in 2006 due to a career-ending knee injury. He retired as the fourth leading rusher in NFL history. He was selected as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Curtis Jr. was born to Rochella Dixon and Curtis Sr. on May 1, 1973. Curtis Sr. left the family in 1978 after turning to drugs and alcohol leaving Curtis's mother to support the family by working two jobs. During his youth, Curtis often moved around the various neighborhoods in Pittsburgh and was consistently surrounded by violence. His grandmother, Eleanor Johnson, was found murdered with a knife in her chest; at age 15, Martin had a near-death experience when a loaded gun pointed at his head was pulled seven times, but never fired.
He and his mother settled in Point Breeze prior to his sophomore year of high school where he began attending Taylor Allderdice High School which was known for its highly regarded academic reputation. He played basketball as a sophomore but did not participate in any sports during his junior year. At the insistence of his mother, who wanted him to participate in an extracurricular activity as a way to keep him away from crime and violence, Curtis began to play football during his senior year despite having never cared much for the sport.
Martin was considered a natural athlete according to former head coach Mark Wittgartner and became an immediate star on the football team as he played at the running back and linebacker positions. He also played on special teams and occasionally at quarterback. He ran for 1,705 yards and scored 20 touchdowns in his lone season of high school football. Martin graduated from Allderdice in 1991 and was inducted into their alumni hall of fame in 2011.
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