As a Durant High School stalwart athlete, Mike Martin was a true multi-sport standout for the Lions, excelling in football, basketball and track.
During an outstanding career both at the high school and college level, Martin played for some all-time great coaches, which laid the foundation for an incredible coaching career of his own.
The 1961 DHS graduate will be one of two inductees in the 2024 Durant Athletic Hall of Fame, joining Joey DaVault during ceremonies prior to Friday’s district home game for the Lions against Coweta at Paul Laird Field.
Martin was an athletic standout in just about everything he tried, being selected as an All-State alternate as a senior.
In football, he was the Lions’ starting quarterback and co-captain in 1959 and 1960 for Coach Vern Robertson. He was the leading scorer for his final two basketball seasons, sparking the Lions to their first state tournament in 14 years before bowing out to Tulsa Booker T. Washington, 72-54, in round one under the direction of basketball skipper John Gecks.
Martin also showed his talents in track under the tutelage of fellow Durant Hall of Famer Lynn Marsh.
He went on to play collegiately at Southeastern Oklahoma State University where he was a threeyear starter on Bloomer Sullivan’s basketball squad and a four-year starter for Don Parham in baseball, garnering All-Conference honors along the way for the Savages.
Martin soon began a lengthy basketball coaching career in New Mexico, guiding Manzano High School to a pair of high school state championships.
He returned to Durant and guided the Southeastern program through the late 1970s for six seasons, including three that reached the NAIA national tournament. He also had a pair of coaching stints at Abilene Christian University covering 11 seasons (with three conference titles) as well as a pair of years at NCAA Division I Stephen F. Austin.
Martin also spent time coaching basketball professionally in Brazil.