STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton Football is in mourning after the announcement that assistant football coach and former player Marc Martinez was killed in a car accident on Feb. 10.
Martinez had been with the Texan Football program for eight season, with six seasons as a full-time linebackers coach and five as the program's summer camp director. He began his career with the team in 2015 as a graduate assistant for the defense.
"This is a terrible day in the Texan Football program," head coach Todd Whitten said. "Coach Martinez was not only a great assistant coach, but he was a great leader, a great person, and a great friend. He has done an incredible job in helping boost this program to where it is today, and we're beside ourselves that he is no longer with us. My heart breaks for his family, his wife Lacie, and his daughters, Estella and Camilla. We will miss him dearly."
"It's hard to find the words when we lose a valued member of the Tarleton Athletics family, and to find out we lost Coach Martinez this morning was devastating," Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lonn Reisman said. "Not only was he a treasured member of the Tarleton Football coaching staff, he has been a treasured member of Tarleton Athletics for the past 12 years. Marc will be remembered for his great servitude and for his tremendous career as a true Tarleton Texan. We will miss Marc, and we pray for all of his family and friends."
The University stated that Martinez was an integral part of the Texans kicking off their reclassification into the NCAA Division I with three straight winning seasons.
In 2018, only his second full-time season, Martinez helped lead the Texans defense to a 12-1 record, the most successful season the program had ever seen. That same season, the Texans also won their first outright LSC title in program history and advanced to the NCAA regional finals with a No. 5 national ranking.
Over the course of his coaching career, Martinez coached several all-conference linebackers, including E.J. Speed, who became the highest drafted player in school history, being picked up by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2019 NFL Draft.
A former Texan himself, Martinez played linebacker for Tarleton before beginning his coaching career. He was a two-time All-LSC linebacker, topping the 100-tackle mark his senior year.
During his time on the team, Martinez played 35 games, including being a member of the 2013 Lone Star Conference Championship team. The university credits him with two interceptions, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 253 total tackles, 119 of them solo.
Before Tarleton, Martinez graduated from Midway High in Woodway.
Martinez earned both his undergraduate degree and master's degree at Tarleton. He is survived by his wife Lacie and two daughters, Estella and Camilla.
