Martin Methodist College

  Martin Methodist College 

Martin Methodist College is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college located in Pulaski, Tennessee, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. For many years it was a junior college but now offers several four-year degrees.

One notable alumnus is the late former United States Senator Ross Bass.

The school has several intercollegiate sports programs and is a member of the NAIA. Other notable graduates include John Ogiltree, a Canadian baseball pitcher, and Tenywa Bonseu, a Ugandan soccer player. In 2012, James Justice, a 5'9" basketball guard with a 52" vertical leap, won the ESPN College Slam Dunk Contest and was later drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters.

History
Martin Methodist College is named after Thomas Martin, who originally intended to construct a school for girls in Giles County. He financed the project through a gift of $ 30,000 in his will of 1870. His legacy was the fulfillment of the dream of his daughter Victoria, who before her death at age twenty asked her father to set up such an institution. Thomas Martin, son of a Methodist minister, was born in 1799 and moved to Pulaski Tennessee, as a young man. Unusual business acumen and knowledge of the industry soon made him a millionaire. He was a friend of President James K Polk from nearvy Columbia, Tennessee.

Athletics
Martin Methodist teams, nicknamed athletically as the Red Hawks, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I level, primarily competing in TranSouth Athletic Conference (TSAC). Starting the 2013-14 season, the Red Hawks will join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, golf, soccer and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.