July 4, 2004

ALL IN THE FAMILY: WAYNE MARTIN RETURNS

Once again, Great Bridge figures one good Martin deserves another.

Wayne Martin, who built the Wildcats' wrestling program into a powerhouse before turning it over to his brother Steve, will re-assume command of the perennial state champs."I left this building 13 years ago, but now I'm back," Wayne Martin said at a press conference in the Wildcats' gym. "It feels like I've been away from home for a long time."

Steve Martin, who resigned in the spring to become the head coach at Old Dominion University, led the Wildcats to 12 state titles and national prominence in his 13 seasons. But he was merely building on the foundation laid by his older brother Wayne, who elevated the Wildcats from also-ran to juggernaut during his initial eight-year run.

The Wildcats posted a 110-13-1 dual-match record in Wayne Martin's eight seasons and won four state championships. They were ranked 4th nationally in 1997 and No. 3 the following year, a campaign that ended with Martin earning National High School Coach of the Year honors from Amateur Wrestling News.

"He was the architect," Great Bridge principal Carolyn Bernard said.

Wayne Martin resigned in 1992 and spent nine years as Great Bridge's athletic director, then another four as the supervisor of student activities for Chesapeake public schools.

But while Martin found those jobs professionally satisfying, he said he missed coaching and the daily, hands-on interaction with the athletes.

The Wildcats wrestlers expect this latest brother-to-brother handoff to be another smooth one.

"Losing Steve was a big loss for us," said Junior Pearman, who won the state 135-pound title as a freshman last year.

"But if anyone can take his place, it's another Martin. I think it's pretty awesome."

The move will re-unite Wayne Martin with four of his former wrestlers who will now serve as assistant coaches. And it appears to set the Wildcats up for another string of state titles and extending what the Martins consider a family tradition.

"He started it, I jumped into the middle of it and now he's back," Steve Martin said.

"The machine will keep rolling."