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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1908-10-18)October 18, 1908 Jacksboro, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | January 11, 1979(1979-01-11) (aged 70) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1928–1930 | TCU |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1932–1935 | El Paso HS (TX) |
| 1936–1942 | Lufkin HS (TX) |
| 1944 | Paschal HS (TX) |
| 1945–1952 | TCU (assistant) |
| 1953–1966 | TCU |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1963–1975 | TCU |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 74–64–7 (college) |
| Bowls | 1–3–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3SWC (1955, 1958–1959) | |
| Awards | |
| Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1968) | |
Othol Hershel Martin (October 18, 1908 – January 11, 1979), also known asAbe Martin, was an Americanfootball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach atTexas Christian University (TCU) from 1953 to 1966, compiling a record of 74–64–7. Martin was also theathletic director at Texas Christian from 1963 to 1975.
Born inJacksboro, Texas, Martin attendedJacksboro High School and thenTexas Christian University inFort Worth, where he played football under head coachFrancis Schmidt. He was part of TCU's first-everSouthwest Conference championship team in 1929. Schmidt gave Martin his nickname after he related his style to that of a newspaper column of the day named "Abe Martin Says". He set conference records for blocking punts and recovering fumbles at TCU.
After graduating from TCU in 1932, Martin began his coaching career atEl Paso High School in 1934, where he won two district championships. In 1936, he moved across the state to coach atLufkin High School, where he compiled a record of 66–10, with four district championships. He left coaching in 1943, but returned in 1944 to coach atPaschal High School in Fort Worth.
In 1945, he returned to TCU to coach football, and in 1953 was finally elevated to the head coaching position upon the retirement ofDutch Meyer. From 1953 to 1966, he coached theHorned Frogs to a 74–64–7 record, during which they appeared in theCotton Bowl Classic three times, as well as theSun Bowl andBluebonnet Bowl once each. He coached seven All-Americans at TCU, includingJim Swink andBob Lilly.
After his 1961 team upset a previously undefeatedTexas, Longhorns coachDarrell Royal famously described the Frogs as "cockroaches". Martin's casual response was that he had "never received so much criticism for winning a game".[citation needed]
After a disappointing 2–8 season in 1966, he resigned as head football coach. He remained the school's athletic director, a post he assumed in 1963 and held until 1975. In 1972, he was elected to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame inWaco.
Abe Martin Stadium inLufkin, Texas, is named for Martin.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCU Horned Frogs(Southwest Conference)(1953–1966) | |||||||||
| 1953 | TCU | 3–7 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1954 | TCU | 4–6 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1955 | TCU | 9–2 | 5–1 | 1st | LCotton | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1956 | TCU | 8–3 | 5–1 | 2nd | WCotton | 14 | 14 | ||
| 1957 | TCU | 5–4–1 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1958 | TCU | 8–2–1 | 5–1 | 1st | TCotton | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1959 | TCU | 8–3 | 5–1 | T–1st | LBluebonnet | 8 | 7 | ||
| 1960 | TCU | 4–4–2 | 3–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1961 | TCU | 3–5–2 | 2–4–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1962 | TCU | 6–4 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1963 | TCU | 4–5–1 | 2–4–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1964 | TCU | 4–6 | 3–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1965 | TCU | 6–5 | 5–2 | T–2nd | LSun | ||||
| 1966 | TCU | 2–8 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| TCU: | 74–64–7 | 46–42–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 74–64–7 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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