DOUG MARTIN
- May 1
- 2 min read
Steinert High School -- Coach & Meet Director
There are some head coaches we remember for their excellence. If they are fortunate, they guide their programs a long time and have the opportunities to make a lasting impact.
Former Steinert High track and cross country coach Doug Martin was the best of all of these: an educator that embodied long-term commitment and won incredibly often too.
His impact on the Mercer County track community cannot be overstated.
An employee of Hamilton Township for 39 years, Martin was a Steinert head coach for 34 (from 1972 to 2006). A coach for all seasons, Martin guided the Steinert boys through cross country, indoor track and spring track. By the time his coaching career was over, this meant nearly 1,000 career dual-meet wins and some of Mercer County’s most memorable championship teams.
In 1987, Martin led the Spartans to the Central Group III sectional cross country title, anchored by individual winner Aaron Oldfield. The 1987 team went one step better, earning the school’s first group state cross country title.
Soon thereafter Steinert was bumped up to Group IV but Martin kept on leading the Spartans to glory, taking back-to-back Central Group IV titles in 1993 and 1994.
On the track in the spring of 1988, Martin's Spartan Boys went undefeated in dual meets. They also won two championship meets: The 1988 Mercer County Championship, and the school's first ever sectional title, dominating Central Jersey Group III with a 26-point margin of victory.
But the legacy of Martin goes way beyond winning on the scoreboard or countless county champions and medalists. One of the most respected and respectful gentlemen in the sport, Martin spawned several of Mercer County’s most successful coaches (including Oldfield). Under Martin's leadership as Meet Director, Steinert program hosted the Mercer County Track and Cross-Country Championships at the school and Veterans Park for over 20 years, and was a vital cog in county track over four decades.
Martin served as head of the history department at Steinert. He is a member of the Steinert Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2010), and he is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
DOUG MARTIN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH 2026
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