Curtis Martin

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 over the course of ten years. Martin began his professional career with the Patriots, who selected him in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He joined the Jets in 1998 where he finished his career in 2005 after he was forced into retirement due to injury. He retired having amassed the fourth highest total of rushing yards in NFL history. He was selected as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Early years
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' mother to support the family by working two jobs. Curtis often moved around the different neighborhoods in Pittsburgh during his youth and was consistently surrounded by violence. He and his mother settled in Point Breeze prior to his sophomore year of high school. He began to attend Taylor Allderdice High School which, was known for its highly regarded academic reputation in the Pittsburgh area. He played basketball as a sophomore but did not participate in any sports during his junior year. At the pleas of his mother, who wanted him to participate in a sport to keep him away from the violence, Curtis began to play football during his senior year despite having never cared much for the sport.

Curtis was a natural athlete according to former head coach Mark Wittgartner and became an immediate star on the football team as he played running back and linebacker. 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. Curtis's performance attracted the attention of the University of Pittsburgh's football coach Paul Hackett. Though other offers were available, Curtis decided to remain close to home and attend Pittsburgh.

College career
Martin, whom Hackett likened to Tony Dorsett, was expected to be a valued contributor to the Panthers when he arrived in 1991. However, injuries plagued much of his college career. As a junior he rushed for 1,045 yards in ten games but he missed the final two with a sprained shoulder. In 1994, Martin opened his senior year running for a career high 251 yards against Texas however the following week against Ohio he suffered a sprained ankle that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Martin had the option to redshirt and play one more season at Pittsburgh or enter the NFL Draft. He chose to enter the draft stating "in the end it was the best thing to do". Draft analysts predicted that had Martin stayed another season at Pittsburgh and remained injury free he could have been a potential first round selection. Martin was highly touted for his speed, he ran a 4.4 in the 40 yard dash, and his slashing running style.

New England Patriots
The New England Patriots let running backs Marion Butts and Leroy Thompson and fullback Kevin Turner pursue other teams through free agency after 1994. The Philadelphia Eagles signed Turner, who was a restricted free agent, and sent a third round selection to New England. Despite concerns regarding his durability, the Patriots used the selection to draft Martin in the 1995 NFL Draft. Martin signed a contract with the team on July 19, 1995. Martin made his NFL debut in the Patriots' week one win over the Cleveland Browns. Martin ran for 30 yards on first carry and finished with 102 yards for the day. He became the first Patriots rookie to rush for 100 yards during their debut. Martin would continue his impressive streak and rush for over 100 yards eight more times during the season. He finished the season as the AFC's leading rusher with 1,487 yards and 14 touchdowns. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and was named to the Pro Bowl.

The following year, he rushed for a franchise record 166 yards and three touchdowns in his first career playoff game, against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots went to Super Bowl XXXI, but lost to the Green Bay Packers. Martin rushed for 42 yards, caught three passes for 28 yards, and scored a touchdown in the game. Though he was much less effective in 1996 than he had been in his rookie season, Martin was again named to the Pro Bowl squad.

New York Jets
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 with his former Patriots coach Bill Parcells. In his first seven seasons with the Jets, Martin missed only one game and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times. In 1998, Martin gained 182 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Jets playoff win. Martin won the NFL rushing title in the 2004 NFL season with 1,697 yards (one more yard than runner-up Shaun Alexander, the closest margin in NFL history). He also won the FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award in 2004. Martin made history for being the oldest player in history to lead the league in rushing at 31 years old.

In 2005, Martin failed in his quest to become the first running back in NFL history to start his career with eleven straight 1,000 rushing yard seasons. He missed a game versus the Oakland Raiders with a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve for the final three games of the season. Martin finished with 735 rushing yards, for a career total of 14,101 rushing yards. Martin began the 2006 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to complications from the injury. It was announced he would miss the rest of the regular season with a bone-on-bone condition in his right knee on November 1, 2006. On July 26, 2007 Martin officially announced his retirement from the NFL. On January 24, 2010 Martin signed with the Jets to serve as honorary captain for them during the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Accomplishments
Curtis 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 Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith 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, although it is not statistically relevant, Martin has a perfect passer rating of 158.3: 2 completions on 2 pass attempts, 2 TD passes, and an average of 18 yards per attempt.

On August 16, 2010, during halftime of the Giants-Jets preseason game at the New Meadowlands Stadium, Martin was inducted as a member of the inaugural class to the Jets' Ring of Honor. In his first year of eligibility, Martin was one of finalists for the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame, however he was not selected for induction. Martin was again a leading candidate for selection in 2012 alongside former head coach and mentor Bill Parcells. Martin was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 4, 2012.

Career statistical 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)
 * 119 consecutive regular season starts (3rd all-time)
 * Oldest player to win a rushing title (age 31) in 2004

New York Jets franchise records

 * Most career rushing yards (10,302)
 * Most career rushing touchdowns (58)
 * Only Jets Running Back to lead the league in rushing yards.