Doug Martin obit

Former Husky Great Doug Martin Dies at 68

The defensive tackle was coach Don James' first All-American player.

 He was not on the list.

Doug Martin, the first of many All-American players for legendary University of Washington football coach Don James who helped turn the program into a huge success, died over the weekend of natural causes, according to former teammates. He was 68.

A defensive tackle, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Martin emerged from Fairfleld, California, located north of San Francisco, and joined the Huskies during James' second year in Montlake in 1976.

By midseason, Martin had beat out a senior to become the starter and he would open the next 40 consecutive games for the Huskies, including the 1978 Rose Bowl against Michigan and the 1979 Sun Bowl against Texas.

"For a young guy, he was like a born leader," former UW safety and teammate Al Burleson said. "He was that type of person where he fit right in. He just had all of the ability and qualifications to get instant respect after being there a couple of weeks."

Martin signed with the Huskies rather than UCLA, which was a possibility until Bruins coach Dick Vermeil left for the NFL to lead the Philadelphia Eagles.

He would go on to pile up 313 career tackles for the UW, including 106 as a junior, a wieldy number for a defrensive lineman. He was named second-team All-Pac-8 as a sophomore, first-team All-Pac-10 as a junior and a senior, and as a second-team All-American in his final season.

"He made sure we had a great pass rush," former wide receiver and teammate Spider Gaines said. "He was a great talent."

Martin was rewarded for his UW heroics by going as the ninth overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings in the 1980 NFL Draft, which at that time made him the second-highest drafted Husky, with only center Rudy Mucha taken earlier at No. 4 to the Cleveland Rams in 1941.

He would enjoy a 10-year career, all with the Vikings, and was duly rewarded with the highest contract -- nearly a $500,000 deal -- that Minnesota had paid out in two decades of franchise existence.

To get it, Martin became a lengthy holdout, represented by controversial agent Howard Slusher, and missed all of rookie camp, training camp and the exhibition season, and didn't report until the 1980 season began.

His best NFL season was 1982 when he was named first-team All-Pro and led the NFL with 11.5 sacks over just 9 games.

He ended up playing in 126 games and starting 94, and finished with 50.5 career sacks.

Martin lived in Woodinville during ihis post-football days and still met with his former Husky teammates, including just two weeks ago with a group that involved quarterback Warren Moon and running back Ronnie Rowland.

Martin was a low-key and a humble superstar, who used to entertain his Husky teammates by getting up at 5 a.m. to go bass fishing on Lake Washington before pushing himself through two-a-day practices that morning and afternoon.

As a senior he roomed with fellow defensive lineman Stafford Mays, whose son Taylor currently is the UW safeties coach.

"To me, he was one of the ultimate teammates and to just be so young," Burleson said. "He was super gifted and a pretty humble guy. He's definitely going to be missed."

Career information

High school     Armijo (Fairfield)

College            Washington

NFL draft        1980: 1st round, 9th overall pick

Career history

Minnesota Vikings (1980–1989)

Awards and highlights

First-team All-Pro (1982)

NFL sacks leader (1982)

Second-team All-American (1979)

2× First-team All-Pac-10 (1978, 1979)

Second-team All-Pac-8 (1977)

Career NFL statistics

Sacks   61.5

Interceptions    1

Fumble recoveries       7

Fumble return yards    29