John Martin weaved his way through tacklers, into A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame

By: Mark Nitowski
Saturday, March 29, 2025 | 6:14 PM

As a youngster in New Kensington, John Martin always was looking for ways to become a better athlete, even while delivering newspapers.

“I used to do some crazy things,” said Martin, with a laugh. “In the fall, I would jog along my paper route, trying not to step on the leaves on the ground. I just did little things like that to improve my agility and footwork.”

Known as “Jonny,” Martin used his fancy footwork and strong leg drive as a stellar running back at Valley, before moving on to a solid career on the football field at Slippery Rock. A 1975 Valley graduate, he also was a baseball standout on the high school and American Legion diamonds.

Martin, 68, will be honored for his athletic achievements during the 54th annual Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, May 17, at Pittsburgh Shiners Center in Harmar.

“I think I worked at being a good player from grade school on up,” said Martin, who still lives in New Kensington. “The kids who grew up with me were always competitive. My brother, Mikey, was a good ballplayer, too, and that helped me become a better player. We used to play all the time, no matter the weather. We’d always be out there trying to improve and just enjoying the game.”

Like many kids in the Valley area, Martin got his start in football playing for the Ar-Ken Rens youth team.

“I did pretty well there, and figured I could do the same in junior high and high school,” he said. “In junior high, we had some really good teams. We were undefeated for three years.”

Martin and his classmates moved up to a Valley varsity squad that compiled just a 12-36-3 record in the school’s first six seasons of existence.

“The high school didn’t have a very good team,” Martin said. “When we got up there, we thought we could put Valley on the map.”

Behind Martin and fellow star running back Kevin Thrower, the Vikings burst onto the local high school scene in 1973 and 1974.

“When I was a junior and senior, we finished with 7-3 records both years. That really put Valley on the map,” said Martin, who was a 5-foot-8 fullback and halfback on offense and monster back on defense.

Martin said the biggest victory of his high school career came during his junior season, when Valley hosted perennial powerhouse Kiski Area in a Foothills Conference showdown before an estimated crowd of 8,000.

“It was packed, standing room only,” he said. “I remember coming out for the start of the game and seeing all of those people in the crowd. They were standing along the sideline, six or seven deep. And there were people sitting in the end zone. We felt we needed to play well to beat Kiski for our fans and to make them happy.”

The Vikings knocked off the Cavaliers, 14-8, with Martin scoring on a weaving 44-yard, touchdown run.

The Valley victory ended Kiski’s 45-game conference winning streak, a WPIAL record at the time.

“That was the first time Valley had beaten Kiski in football,” Martin said.

Thrower received a Division I scholarship to Penn State. But Martin managed to snare his share of accolades.

“I did well enough to make all-conference, all-WPIAL and runner-up all-state,” he said.

Martin also played varsity baseball for four seasons at Valley and batted .450 in his final year for the New Ken American Legion team. During those days, he attended two minor league tryouts with the Pirates.

“My main position was center field,” he said. “I could get a good jump on the ball and was able to cover a lot of ground out there. I usually batted third in the lineup. I was more of a gap hitter than a power hitter. I hit a lot of doubles. I also could run the bases pretty well, too.”

Looking back, Martin wonders whether he should have focused on baseball coming out of high school.

“I think I would have been a good professional baseball player if I would have stuck with it,” he said. “But football was my dream. Gale Sayers was my idol, and I grew up mimicking him.”

Martin decided to play collegiate football at Slippery Rock.

“The big thing for me was that Slippery Rock had a very good football team,” he said. “They had won three conference championships (from 1972-74). I hadn’t played for championships during my high school days and thought my best chance was at Slippery Rock.”

The Rockets recruited Martin to play running back.

“My freshman year, I learned fullback and halfback,” he said. “My sophomore year, I was a fullback and rarely carried the ball. I’d get some touches in the first half.”

For his collegiate career, Martin rushed 180 times for 691 yards and two TDs. He also caught 10 passes for 103 yards and a pair of scores.

Instead of carrying the ball, Martin focused on a different way to contribute to the Slippery Rock offense from his fullback position.

“What got me a starting spot was perfecting my blocking,” he said. “At 5-8, I was going against larger people. My fundamentals had to be on point to master the blocks. I just worked on it and listened to the coaches.”

Martin felt his dedication paid off when he was named a team captain for his senior season.

“I was very elated because my teammates picked the captains, not the coaches,” he said. “That’s what made it so much better. The people who I played with believed in me, and thought that I was a person they could follow.”

After college, Martin became employed at PPG Industries. He worked at the company’s Creighton plant for 28 years before the facility closed. He then moved to the PPG Springdale plant, where he still works.

Martin is looking forward to having his close family and friends in attendance when he’s honored at the May 17 induction ceremony.

“There have been so many great players in the A-K Valley, and I’m elated to be joining them in the hall,” he said. “It definitely was a surprise and shock to me.”

If you’re going

What: 54th A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame induction

When: 7 p.m., May 17

Where: Pittsburgh Shriners Center, Harmar

Tickets: $40

For more information, visit akhof.com.

Tags: Valley