Benjamin S. Martin (June 27, 1921 – July 24, 2004) was an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

from 1956 to 1957 and the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

from 1958 to 1977, compiling a career head coaching record of . A native of

Prospect Park, Pennsylvania Prospect Park is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,454 at the 2010 census, down from 6,594 at the 2000 census. It originated as a bedroom community of Philadelphia. It is located within of Center ...

, Martin played college football at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1941 and then moved to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

; he was a member of the class of 1946, which graduated early in 1945 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After sea duty on the USS ''

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer * Saint Helena (disambiguation), this includes places Places Greece * Helena ...

'', Martin was an assistant coach at Navy from 1949 to 1954; that last team was 8–2, among the best in program history, and won the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

. His first team at Air Force in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

was undefeated (with two ties), played in the Cotton Bowl, and finished in the top ten in both polls. Martin also ran

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

for Navy, earning three letters as a runner. Martin died at age 83 in 2004 in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

, and was buried in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

at the Naval Academy Cemetery. He was inducted into the

Air Force Falcons The Air Force Falcons are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, located in El Paso County, Colorado north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. Th ...

Hall of Fame in 2009.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Ben 1921 births 2004 deaths American football halfbacks Air Force Falcons football coaches Navy Midshipmen football coaches Navy Midshipmen football players Princeton Tigers football players United States Football League announcers Virginia Cavaliers football coaches College football announcers Navy Midshipmen men's track and field athletes The Hill School alumni Players of American football from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Military personnel from Pennsylvania Presidents of the American Football Coaches Association