Martin hopes NFL is next after fine career at BC
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Tom Martin

HOWELL — Tom Martin has put too much into football to stop now.

The recent Boston College graduate and former Howell High School star is working out three days a week, doing grueling double-sessions each time at the Parisi gym in Fair Lawn, Bergen County, to prepare for the March 24 NFL Pro Camp Region combine at his alma mater.

There, NFL scouts will be testing him and other prospects in drills designed to test the athlete’s speed, agility and strength (weight training). It’s all to see who could make the grade in the NFL.

Martin, who graduated last year from BC with a degree in sociology, is back home in Howell now doing his best to impress the scouts and continue his football career.

"After playing so long, you want to get to the next step," he said. "You owe it yourself to follow through with it."

Martin, a 6-foot-4, 281-pound defensive tackle, has excelled at every level of football, and it’s only natural that the next level, professional football, beckons. Although there are other professional football opportunities, Arena football and NFL Europe, Martin’s concentration is on the NFL right now.

"I won’t put all my eggs in one basket. If it happens, it would be incredible," he said. "To go from Howell to Boston College to the NFL would be great.

"It’s been one step at a time," he added. "It takes a lot of hard work."

Martin knows that if opportunity comes his way, it will present him with his greatest challenge. One that college prepared him for.

"It’s a big adjustment (college football)," he said. "A lot of players come in arrogant because they were the best in high school.

"The first summer camp was a very humbling experience," he added. "Getting thrown around wounds your pride."

The humbling experience of going up against veteran college players breaks the less dedicated, but not Martin.

"It drove me on," he said.

From those humble beginnings at the Chestnut Hill campus, Martin would become a steady fixture on the Golden Eagles defensive line. After a red-shirt season as a freshman, he became a starter in the fifth game of the 2000 season and remained there for the rest of his career.

"From day one I was really glad about the decision I made," noted Martin. "They [BC] went out of their way to help me and make me comfortable."

During his four years, the Eagles went to four straight bowl games and won them all. It’s something the Eagles’ had never done before, even during the Doug Flutie era. The most recent bowl win was the 2003 San Francisco Bowl, 35-21, over Colorado State. BC’s other bowl wins were the 2000 Aloha (31-17 over Arizona State), 2001 Music City (20-16 over Georgia) and 2002 Motor City (51-25 over Toledo). Martin was a member of them all, and knows he was there when the program was turned around and winning became expected. BC was so successful during Martin’s years that a bowl game, once a luxury, was now expected.

"It didn’t seem like a big deal," noted Martin. "We expected to have a winning season and go to bowl games. That’s the kind of confidence a program needs. Mi­ami (BC’s Big East rival) expects to win every game it plays."

It was the 2000 Aloha Bowl in Hawaii that convinced the former New Jersey all-stater that he was here to stay.

"I had a career day with nine tackles, three sacks and two tackles for losses," he recalled. "That was the realization to me that I can play here — that I can play with the best."

He would eventually become one of the best, and that is why several NFL teams have already expressed interest in him.

There was more to the adjustment from high school to college than pure ath­letic talent. The nature of the sport changes as well, according to Martin.

"The most shocking thing is how much of a business it is," Martin pointed out. "In high school, it’s pure and all about football. Playing in the Big East and at Division I is about business.

"The coaches job isn’t to insure the you’re having a good time," he added. "For the coaches, it’s their job and they want to keep it. It was up to me to keep the game fun. There’s more responsibility on you."

The game remained fun for Martin and it didn’t hurt playing in big games with the Eagles. Whether it was beating Penn State or Notre Dame on the road, or playing before a packed stadium at home, it brought out the best in Martin. He played at some of the most revered foot­ball stadiums, Notre Dame, Penn State and at the Orange Bowl (Miami’s home field)

One of Martin’s memorable games was last season at Penn State.

"The Penn State game was a high­light," he said. "Boston College and Penn State were my final two college decisions. I was excited going into the game playing at Happy Valley."

Making it even more exciting was the role Martin played in helping the Golden Eagles beat the Nittanny Lions, 27-14. He set up one of BC’s scores when he re­turned his first career pass interception 25 yards to the Lions 1-yard line. In addi­tion, Martin had five tackles, three quar­terback hurries and one sack. For his ef­forts, he was named the Big East Defen­sive Player of the Week for the first time.

The defensive line was one of the team’s strongest units, led by Martin and his 41 career starts, and the experience that gave him. Martin, though, spread the credit around.

"The balance on our defensive line was so good, no one player could get double-teamed on every play," he explained. "I think our line was one of the best in the conference."

Martin has remained in touch with his BC teammates and is working out at Parisi with Greg Toal, who played fullback for the Eagles the last four years (Toal’s brother, Brian, the star of state No. 1 Don Bosco Prep, was one of the nation’s most sought-after high school players last fall and, after a long courtship, he signed with BC last month). From talking to ex-Eagles who are in the NFL, he knows what to expected at the Region combine, and if drafted or signed by a team, what lies ahead for him. As he said, he owes it to himself to give the NFL his best shot. He’ll leave no stone unturned as he looks to play football on Sunday.