Feb. 9, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tee Martin, former National Football League quarterback and national championship QB at Tennessee, is the new wide receivers coach at Kentucky, Coach Joker Phillips has announced.
“Tee has a great ability to relate and communicate with young people,” Phillips said. “I had a chance to watch him coach (current Wildcat) Matt Roark in high school and I was impressed with how he handled himself. I think he’ll be a tremendous asset in recruiting. He is very well-known in Atlanta and other areas in the South.”
Martin comes to UK from the University of New Mexico, where he was quarterbacks coach during the 2009 season. Under Martin’s guidance, Lobo QB Donovan Porterie threw for 2,411 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Prior to UNM, Martin was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Atlanta High School in the 2008 season. He was the QB coach and passing game coordinator at North Cobb High School (Kennesaw, Ga.) in 2007, helping the Warriors to a 10-1 record in the Class AAAAA ranks. Roark was the team’s senior quarterback that year and he completed 72.1 percent of his passes for 1,552 yards and 15 touchdowns. Roark was the Cobb County Player of the Year and honorable-mention all-state by the Georgia Sportswriters Association and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Martin also has been a coach for the Elite 11 Quarterback Camps (2007-08), Nike football training camps (2007-08) and the Nike Combine Tour (2008). He has mentored and evaluated more than 1,000 quarterbacks, including more than 30 Division I signees. He also created the “Dual Threat” Quarterback Camp and Academy in Atlanta in 2008.
Martin began his coaching career as the passing game coordinator at Morehouse College in Atlanta during the 2006 season, when the Maroon Tigers had the top-ranked rushing, passing and total offense in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
In addition, Martin has some interesting experience as a member of the media. In 2007 and ’08, he was a college football analyst for the Comcast Sports Southeast’s twice-weekly show “Talking Football.” He also did a weekly radio show about college football, “Hot Tee and Touchdowns,” on the ESPN affiliate in Atlanta, 680 AM The Fan.
A native of Mobile, Ala., Martin was a four-year letterman at Tennessee from 1996-99. After serving as a backup to Peyton Manning in 1996 and ’97, Martin led the Volunteers to the 1998 national championship. The Vols’ 13-0 record was capped by a 23-16 win over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl. Martin led Tennessee to another trip to the Fiesta Bowl following the ’99 season. With current UK offensive coordinator Randy Sanders serving as his offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, Martin was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference as a senior.
Martin is still tied for the NCAA record for consecutive completions in one game with 23 straight completions vs. South Carolina on Oct. 31, 1998.
Martin was selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, beginning a six-year pro football career. After two seasons with the Steelers, he went to NFL Europe in 2002, when he led the Rhein Fire to a league-best 7-3 record and a berth in the World Bowl. He returned to the NFL with the Oakland Raiders in 2003, then moved to the Canadian Football League and spent the 2004-05 seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“I’m excited about the future of Kentucky football under the leadership of Joker Phillips,” Martin said. “The respect Coach Phillips has in college football as an offensive mind, as well as being one of the best wide receivers’ coaches, made me want to be here and learn from him.
“My chemistry with Coach Sanders dates back to our time together at Tennessee. He’s been a mentor for me since I got into the coaching profession and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. I’m looking forward to helping develop a very exciting young group of wide receivers.”
Martin and his wife, Toya, have a son, Kaden, and a set of twins, daughter A’Yadra and son Amari. The former Toya Rodriguez is a recording artist with hit singles “I Do!” (2001) and “No Matta What (Party All Night)” (2002).
