Weber State University Athletics
Weber State to retire Jamie Martin's jersey
10/14/2014 8:49:00 PM | Football
In 1989, Jamie Martin signed to play quarterback for the Weber State football team. During this time as a Wildcat he became a Walter Payton Trophy winner, a two-time All-American and set numerous passing records before going on to a 16-year career in the NFL.
Now, 25 years after coming to Weber State, Martin will receive the highest honor given to a student-athlete as Weber State University will retire Martin's jersey. He will be honored at Weber State's final home game, Nov. 15 against Northern Colorado. Martin will become the first athlete from any sport in Weber State history to have a jersey retired.
“This is such a great honor for me to have my jersey retired by Weber State,” Martin said. “When I look back on by time at Weber State I feel very grateful for the opportunity to play college football at such a beautiful place with so many great players. This honor is a great reflection on the players and coaches who were there during my time. The quarterback always gets too much credit when things go well. I'm proud of this honor because it represents all of us who played and coached at Weber State at that time.”
Martin signed with Weber State in 1989 out of Arroyo Grande, Calif. As a freshman he played as a reserve for the first eight games of the season under new head coach Dave Arslanian, before being named the starter for the last three games of the year. He would start every game the rest of his career. In those final three games he threw for 837 yards and seven touchdowns.
He broke out during his sophomore campaign of 1990, finishing the year with all kinds of records. He set a school and Big Sky record for passing yards and led the nation in total offense. He thew for 3,700 yards and 23 touchdowns and was named the Big Sky Co-MVP. He earned All-American honors and finished second in the Walter Payton Trophy voting.
His crowning season came during his junior year of 1991. He once again led the nation in total offense, throwing for more than 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns and helped Weber State to an 8-4 mark and a trip to the Division I-AA playoffs. During the season he set a I-AA record with 624 passing yards in a win over Idaho State. That record stood as a national record until 2012 and still ranks fourth in FCS history.
He repeated as the Big Sky MVP and the crowning honor came when he was named the recipient of the Walter Payton Trophy, the top player in Division I-AA football. He was the first underclassman to ever win the Payton Award and is still the only Wildcat to ever win an individual national Player of the Year honor.
As a senior Martin came back to throw for 3,207 yards and 20 more touchdowns in 1992. All total, he ended his career as a two-time All-American and left as WSU's career leader in passing yards and total offense. He threw for 12,207 yards and 87 touchdowns in his 41 career games at Weber State. Twenty-five years later he still ranks first in school history in total offense and is second in passing yards and touchdowns. In 2014, he was honored as one of the top 10 male athletes in Big Sky Conference history.
His playing career didn't end after Weber State, despite going undrafted in the 1992 NFL Draft. He went on to a 16-year career in the NFL. He was a member of seven different teams in the NFL, St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers. He saw action in 53 career games in the NFL and started in eight games at quarterback. He was part of the 2001 St. Louis Rams team that advanced to Super Bowl XXXVI. Martin threw for nearly 4,000 yards and had 20 career touchdowns in his NFL career.
Following retirement from professional football, he found he still wanted to be involved in the game and moved into the coaching ranks. He is currently the offensive coordinator at a high school in the St. Louis area, where his son Jack is a sophomore. Martin and his wife Kelly have three children, Jack, Ally and Andrew.
“We are very thrilled for the opportunity to honor Jamie Martin and retire his jersey at Weber State,” said WSU Director of Athletics Jerry Bovee. “He was a terrific player and did so much for the university and the football program. This is the first athlete to have a jersey retired at Weber State and he is very deserving of this honor.”