Career
He is considered one of the greatest high school sprinters in American history and at the height of his career, he competed for the United States in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. As a high school senior in 1985, Martin set the National High School Record for 200 meters with a time of 20.13 seconds. That same year, he also recorded the fastest prep time in the nation for 100 meters at 10.18 seconds and anchored his high school"s 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter relay teams to marks (4028 in the 4 x 100 and 3:094 in the 4 x 400) that are among the fastest ever recorded in high school competition.
Martin was named Male Preparatory Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News in 1984 and in 1985 and was ranked #3 in the world at 200 meters as a high school senior.
His national record for 200 meters still stands. Martin was born and raised in Dallas, Texas.
In head-to-head high school competition, Johnson never beat Martin. "He was phenomenal," Johnson recalled of Martin, during an interview in 2008 with the Dallas Morning News.
"lieutenant was incredible to watch, but at the same time I had to compete against him every week," Johnson said.
"You knew first place was gone. You tried to beat out the other guys for second."
His coach at SMU proclaimed Martin "the greatest pure sprinter I’ve ever seen…better than Bob Hayes."
Martin dropped out of South.M.U. after his freshman year and enrolled at Paul Quinn College in Dallas. Under Kersee’s tutelage, Martin regained his form and competed for the United States in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, of Korea, where he finished sixth in the 200 meter dash.
Martin retired from sprinting shortly after returning home to Dallas from the Olympics.
Martin has worked as a long-haul truck driver and has held positions as a track coach in the Dallas Independent School District and at Paul Quinn College. He founded and manages a non-profit track club for young Dallas-area athletes.
In 2013, Martin was inducted into the Texas Track and Field Hall of Fame.
