Martin Alexander Christiansen (April 23, 1916 – March 29, 1999) was an American football fullback. Born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, he played college football for the University of Minnesota from 1937 to 1939. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1940 NFL Draft, marking the beginning of his professional football career. He played professional football in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

during the 1940 season. In 1941, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Battle of Tarawa, where he was wounded in action. For his bravery, he was awarded the Purple Heart. After his football career, he went on to serve as a police officer in Minneapolis and later owned a gas station. He died on March 29, 1999 in Minneapolis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christiansen, Marty 1916 births 1999 deaths Chicago Cardinals players Minnesota Golden Gophers football players Players of American football from Minnesota