Michael Brendan Martin (born September 1, 1990) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
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). He was selected by the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
in the third round of the
2012 NFL draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
. He played
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 ...
for the
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...
from 2008 to 2011. At Michigan, Martin recorded 172 tackles and appeared in 49 games, including 37 games as the Wolverines' starting nose tackle. He was selected as a second-team
All-Big Ten Conference player by both the coaches and media in 2011 and received the same recognition from the coaches in 2010. In high school, he was the state
Gatorade Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...
in football. He was also a two-time
Michigan High School Athletic Association
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Assoc ...
(MHSAA) state wrestling champion as well as a two-time MHSAA state
shot put
The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...
champion.
Early life
Martin attended
Detroit Catholic Central High School
Detroit Catholic Central High School, commonly known as Catholic Central (CC), is a private, all-male college preparatory Catholic high school in Novi, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1928 in Detroit, Michigan by the Archdiocese of Detroit, ...
in
Novi, Michigan
Novi ( ) is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Novi is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...
, where he was a multi-sport athlete competing in football, wrestling and track and field. In football, he recorded 206.5 tackles for Catholic Central and was selected as the
Gatorade Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...
in
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
for 2007.
[ Though he only took up wrestling as a junior in high school, he won Michigan's Division I state heavyweight wrestling championship in both 2007 and 2008.] He was also a two-time state champion in the shot put
The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...
, and his 2008 throw of 63 feet, 9 inches came within three inches of breaking the all-time state record set by T. J. Duckett
Todd Jeffery Duckett (born February 17, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Duckett was selected by ...
.[ As a freshman, Martin played alto saxophone in the school marching band during varsity games in addition to playing on the freshman football team. During his sophomore year, he was ranked as the No. 1 junior dog handler for the ]American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit breed registry, registry of purebred dog pedigree (animal), pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions eve ...
.[ As a football recruit he was ranked as the 7th, 8th and 12th best defensive tackle in the nation by ]Rivals.com
Rivals.com (stylized as ''rivals'') is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was found ...
, ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
, and Scout.com, respectively.
College career
Martin had been a fan of Michigan football since childhood and gave his oral commitment to head coach Lloyd Carr
Lloyd Henry Carr Jr. (born July 30, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season, replacing Gary Moeller. Under Carr, the Michigan Wolve ...
during an official visit in 2007.[ When Carr retired after the 2007 season, Martin withdrew his oral commitment and was heavily recruited by both Notre Dame and ]Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
. Martin renewed his commitment to Michigan in January 2008.[
Martin enrolled at the ]University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
in the fall of 2008 and played on the Wolverines' defensive line as a true freshman
The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''.
0–9
...
. Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez
Richard Alan Rodriguez (; born May 24, 1963), also known as Rich Rod, is an American college football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at West Virginia Mountaineers football, West Virginia University, his second sti ...
said, "I don't know if I've ever had a true freshman defensive lineman, I guess, as Division I ready as Mike has been. He's going to keep getting better, so we're excited about him."[ Martin earned freshman All-American honors and led Michigan's freshmen with 20 tackles.][
Martin has credited his wrestling technique with helping him against bigger opponents: "It's leverage; it's getting under a guy. Just knowing if a guy is on his heels or toes on the line, you're able to feel if he's on his base or not. In wrestling, that's a big aspect of it, because you've got to be able to feel the different motions of a guy."][ Martin has also credited wrestling with improving his foot and hand speed.][
As a sophomore in 2009, Martin was the starting nose tackle (sometimes referred to as a nose guard) in all 12 games for Michigan. He totaled 51 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks in 2009.][
]
In the winter prior to the 2010 season, Martin underwent surgery to repair a shoulder injury that he sustained during his freshman year. At the start of the 2010 football season, Martin said he felt 110% following the surgery and added, "It feels good to play healthy."[
Martin was selected by ]ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
as one of Michigan's two "weight room warriors" for his 505-pound bench press
The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...
and 700-pound squat. In 2010, Michigan linebacker Craig Roh
Craig Robert Roh (January 25, 1991 – February 26, 2024) was an American professional gridiron football, football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was the Gatorade ...
said of Martin:"Mike Martin is just an animal out there. He's the strongest person I've ever seen in the weight room. It's really showing on the field. He's taking on double teams. (Against Massachusetts), I think the play he sacked the quarterback, he beat a double team and sacked him. Which is — stupid."
Defensive end Ryan Van Bergen
Ryan Charles Van Bergen, sometimes (mis)spelled Ryan VanBergen, (born March 18, 1989) is an American former college football player who was a defensive end for the Michigan Wolverines. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panth ...
added, "He's so fast to get into the backfield. Credit that to his wrestling. I don't know how he can be so explosive and at the same time be moving his feet that fast. It's very unique. He's been unreal."[ Despite the poor performance of Michigan's defense in the first part of the 2010 season, Dave Dye of Fox Sports Detroit praised Martin's performance:]"Martin is the exception on a lousy Michigan defense. He gives the Wolverines a semblance of stability in the midst of utter chaos. Can you imagine where this defense would be without him? Frightening. He has been the MVP-NND (Most Valuable Player -- Not Named Denard). ... He is the team's quiet hero."
Following the 2010 season, Martin was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten Conference player by the coaches and received an honorable mention from the media.
As a senior in 2011, Martin had a career-high 64 tackles, including a career-high 10 tackles against Virginia Tech
The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...
in the 2012 Sugar Bowl
The 2012 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 78th edition of the annual postseason college football bowl game known as the Sugar Bowl. It featured the Michigan Wolverines and the Virginia Tech Hokies on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at the Mercedes-Benz Super ...
. He was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten player by both the coaches and the media after the 2011 season. Martin recorded 172 career tackles at Michigan.[ He appeared in 49 games during his four years at Michigan, including 37 games as the Wolverines' starting ]nose tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...
.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Martin was one of 30 defensive tackles and 58 defensive linemen that participated in the February 2012 NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
. He ranked in the top four among defensive tackles in all six events. His 36 repetitions in the bench press
The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...
ranked second among defensive tackles,[ second among defensive linemen, and third at the entire combine (behind Michigan teammate ]David Molk
David Michael Molk (born December 15, 1988) is an American former professional football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Molk played college football for the Michiga ...
who was second with 41). His 40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...
time of 4.88 ranked third among defensive tackles.[ He ranked fourth among the defensive tackles and 13th among defensive linemen in the ]vertical jump
A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...
with a height of .[ His ]standing long jump
The standing long jump, also known as the standing broad jump, is an athletics event. It was an Olympic event until 1912. It is one of three standing variants of track and field jumping events, which also include the standing high jump an ...
distance of ranked first among defensive tackles,[ although that distance was only 14th among defensive linemen. He ranked third among defensive tackles with a ]3 cone drill
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
with a time of 7.19,[ which tied for 15th among defensive linemen. He was second among defensive tackles in the ]20-yard shuttle
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
with a time of 4.25,[ which placed sixth among defensive linemen.
]
Tennessee Titans
Martin was selected by the Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
in the third round (82nd overall pick) of the 2012 NFL draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
. Martin was the first player from the Michigan Wolverines to be selected in the 2012 Draft. He is one of three Michigan Wolverines and 41 Big Ten players drafted. After being selected by the Titans, Martin said: "Actually, I have really good family friends that live in Tennessee and in Nashville, so I've gotten a taste of Nashville a little bit, and I'm excited to explore it a little bit more—get to know the city and the people." Titans general manager Ruston Webster
Ruston Rials Webster (born September 30, 1962) is an American football scout for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as general manager of the Tennessee Titans. During his time with the Seattle Seahawk ...
said of Martin: "He is what you want in a nose tackle. He is tough as nails, a grinder. He doesn't mind doing the dirty work and he brings the kind of mentality we want in our defense." On October 2, Martin was fined $15,750 for hitting Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
quarterback Andrew Luck
Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is an American football executive and former professional quarterback who is the general manager of the Stanford Cardinal. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons ...
.
Philadelphia Eagles
On April 26, 2016, Martin signed with the Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
. On August 28, Martin was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.
References
External links
Tennessee Titans bio
Martin archive
at ''AnnArbor.com
''AnnArbor.com'' was an online newspaper that covered local news of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the surrounding Washtenaw County. In 2013 ''AnnArbor.com'' was transitioned to MLive.com along with Advance Publications other Michigan newspapers and r ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Mike
1990 births
Living people
American football defensive ends
American football defensive tackles
Michigan Wolverines football players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Players of American football from Detroit
Tennessee Titans players
Detroit Catholic Central High School alumni