Dallas Cowboys Harvey Martin Interview (January 18, 1979)

Harvey Banks Martin (November 16, 1950 – December 24, 2001) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 until 1983. He starred at South Oak Cliff High School and East Texas State University, before becoming an All-Pro with the Cowboys. Early years In Martin's junior year (1967) in high school, he transferred to South Oak Cliff High School, which had become the first integrated high school in Dallas. That year, he overheard his father tell his mother that he was ashamed that his son did not play like his friends' children, so Martin decided to suit up for a football team for the first time in his life. The team went 9–1, though Martin was a backup offensive tackle and only played whenever they had a sizable lead. He would change that in his senior year, when in the spring game he got a chance to fill in on defense and eventually convinced the coaches to move him to defensive tackle. By the third game of his senior season, he was a starter and became the best lineman on a 12–1 team that won the Dallas City championship and went on to the State quarterfinals. Still he was so thin and so late-blooming, that the only college that offered him a scholarship was East Texas State in Commerce (now named Texas A&M University–Commerce). Outside of Dwight White being his roommate, his first two college seasons playing as a defensive end were undistinguished.[1] But he evolved into the best defensive end in school history. During his senior year (1972), en route to leading the school to a national title, he was named to the NAIA All-American, All-Texas, and All-LSC teams. Martin is one of the most recognized names in the history of Texas A&M University–Commerce athletics and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1987. Texas A&M University–Commerce in 2008 also started hosting the Harvey Martin Classic, where the school's football team plays against another team from the Lone Star Conference. In 2007, he was selected to the Lone Star Conference’s 75th Anniversary football team and was named the LSC defensive player of the decade for the 1970s. In 2010, he was inducted into the Lone Star Conference Hall Of Fame. Professional career Martin was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft. During his first years with the team, the coaching staff looked to instill in Martin a sense of aggressiveness, confidence and mental toughness, that didn't come naturally to him. He eventually improved his physical strength and his technique by practicing against future hall of famer Rayfield Wright. He also developed into an emotional player and fierce competitor, so much so, that he was nicknamed "Too Mean". By his third year in 1975, he was a full-time starter. The NFL didn't start recognizing quarterback sacks as an official stat until 1982; however, the Cowboys have their own records, dating back before the 1982 season. According to the Cowboys' stats, Martin is unofficially credited with a total of 114 sacks,[2] leading the Cowboys in sacks seven times during a nine-year period, with a high total of 23 sacks in 1977.[3] Martin played only on passing downs as a rookie, but still led the team in quarterback sacks with 9, tying Willie Townes rookie team record. Martin took down the QB 7.5 times in 1974 and 9.5 times in 1975. Martin broke out with 15 1/2 sacks in 1976 and made the Pro Bowl for the first time. He still holds the team record for most sacks for a rookie (9 - 1973) and in a season (23 - 1977).[4] His unofficial career franchise sack record lasted 30 years, before being broken by DeMarcus Ware in 2013.[5]