Global InformationRobbie Martin information
| No. 48, 83, 31, 88 | |||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver Return specialist | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | December 3, 1958 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 179 lb (81 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Villa Park (Villa Park, California) | ||||||
| College: | Cal Poly | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1981 / Round: 4 / Pick: 100 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Robbie Martin (born 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL).[1][2][3] Martin was selected out of California Polytechnic State University by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL draft.[2][4] He played for the Detroit Lions from 1981–1984 and the Indianapolis Colts from 1985-1986.[1][3]
Robbie Martin is the all-time leading single-season punt return yardage leader for the Indianapolis Colts, setting the record in 1985 with 443 total punt return yards.[5] He also holds the single-season record for most punt returns at 52 returns for 450 yards for the Detroit Lions in 1981 during his rookie year.[6]
As of 2022, Martin ranked 61st in NFL history for career punt-return yardage, with 1,670 yards. He also ranks 119th all-time in the NFL for combined punt and kick return yardage, with 3,754 yards.
Martin returned 3 punts for touchdowns in the NFL, with the longest being 81 yards versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thanksgiving Day in 1983[7] in front of roughly 77,000 in attendance at the Pontiac Silverdome.[8] Martin also returned punts for touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings (for 45 yards) in his rookie season of 1981 and against the Miami Dolphins (70 yards) while a Colt in 1985.
During the last game of his rookie season in 1981 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Martin suffered an injury to his big toe joint which required a then-untested new surgical procedure. The surgery was successful enough that Martin was able to continue his career by changing his running style with only losing a little of his quickness and foot speed. Martin consistently ranked among the top returners in the NFL during his six-year career.
In 1983, the Lions were the Central Division champions and played the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the playoffs at Candlestick Park on New Year's Eve. The Lions lost 24-23 when their last-second field-goal kick went wide right.
Before the 1985 season, Martin was traded to the Colts. While with the Colts, he became a starting wide receiver and also handled all the kick and punt return duties. But midseason injuries forced Martin to concentrate primarily on returns. During the 1986 season, Martin suffered several injuries to his foot and was eventually put on the injured reserve. He retired in 1987 due to the injuries suffered during the prior year.
- ^ a b Robbie Martin
- ^ a b NFL Draft History: Full Draft
- ^ a b Robbie Martin Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards - databaseFootball.com Archived 2012-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 1981 NFL Draft on databaseFootball.com Archived 2008-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts Single-Season Kick & Punt Returns Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ "Detroit Lions Single-Season Kick & Punt Returns Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions - November 24th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ "Thirty-five years ago, Lions made turkeys out of the Steelers". Out of Bounds. 2018-11-22. Retrieved 2022-07-12.