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Kent State promotes Martin to head football coach

Associated Press
Posted: 2 hours ago
KENT, Ohio (AP)

We'll see what happens. According to one of the articles someone posted earlier, the players really like him. He seems to be an intense guy. Dean was a nice guy. Maybe a little fire will be good for a change.

Now let's get Cribbs back on the field and move on!

FIDO, thoughts?

GO FLASHES in 2004!

The Flash Wrote:FIDO, thoughts?

As I said before, I thought Martin was the best internal candidate, and he is ready to be a head coach. The "fire" described by the Record Courier article is no joke, he demands -- and gets -- perfection from his players. The offensive units execution, production, and attitude made a 180 degree turn from two years ago. I am very excited that Martin got the job and cannot wait to see how the team responds to this change. I know the players will be 100% supportive, we'll just have to see how things really change and grow from where we are. And we have come quite far. If I was still on the team, I wouldn't be able to wait untill spring ball.

And I agree, I hope Cribbs comes out of this situation as clean as possible. Not only to be able to play his final year, but to be able to go on with his life without a felony conviction.

I thought Martin was a steal when we hired him from ECU, and I think he is the right hire here, too.
I wish him a world of luck! (And when does our football team start to get a little luck on their side, anyway?)

Good luck to Coach Martin. And axe, you are absolutelty right. The Flashes football program needs a little good luck, too. It is overdue; long overdue.

I'm glad the players like him and respect his intesity. It's a nice choice between continuity and new blood.

Check out the press conference quotes .... it gives you a little idea on the kind of person and coach Martin is.

<a href='http://dept.kent.edu/athletics/football/fb030104a.htm' target='_blank'>Press Conference</a>

"On the football program

Hopefully Martin's vision for the football program can become a reality.

Commenting on Martin, Kennedy has said, "In some, you don't see it. But with Doug, I really see it. He has a blueprint for the vision for the program, and that's very evident.''

Regarding Cribbs and the possibility of Martin not having him this fall, Kennedy said, "One thing that impressed me about Doug, back when all this with Josh first happened, he came to me and said, with or without Josh we will be a good football team."

When Martin was asked to confirm this story he added: "I sincerely believe that."

As a Vanderbilt fan who has suffered through countless seasons of football, I have seen many coaches come in with a lot of confidence only to find them later resigning after having the same poor results as the previous coaches who simply could not make Vanderbilt competitive in the SEC.

Kent much like Vanderbilt has had its share of unsuccessful coaches. Hopefully Martin is that special type of person who can get the most out of his players and can unite the community and alumni in a manner that will finally generate the kind of support that the program has not seen in a long time.

I have no doubt that Martin has the ability to coach and can move the program forward based on his credentials and work ethic. Hopefully the university, the Kent community, and alumni will coalesce and provide the support that is needed now that the Martin era has begun.

Interesting-
I previously made the comment that small time LK would do this. Now that it is done, it may not be that bad of a decision. This is the first time that someone in the athletic department has talked about a community team and working at it. IMO, that should be led by the AD, but ours does not even know that Portage County has a community. Anyway, I will change my colors and predict that Coach Martin will be an improvement over what we had.

I also figured that they would go the internal route, which would make me skeptical because why would you hire from a losing program. However, Coach Martin has only been here for 1 year, not long enough to be jaded by the KSU curse, and he was a long time assistant at a successful mid-major program like ECU. Looks to be a solid hire. Let's see how he does.

Martin's earned a shot.

- He's done wonders with the offense in one year
- Enthusiasm reminds me of J.C.
- Players want to play for him. No more turned off players because they weren't involved
- Continuity in coaching staff as spring practice approaches. We actually have a pretty good staff.

Welcome to Kent State, Coach Martin.

In his first two years, Cribbs was a great athlete who could make plays from anywhere, particularly with his legs. Martin brought so much polish to his game as a QB this past year--Iwas very impressed with Cribbs ability to play within himself and let others make plays, plus he threw so-o-o-o much better this year as well. Most of the credit has to go to Martin.