ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 15, 1990                   TAG: 9005160004
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MARTIN NEW HEAD COACH AT FRANKLIN

After more than two months and 40-plus applications, Franklin County stayed at home to selected its new football coach.

The Franklin County school board chose Melvin Martin, a part-time assistant coach with Ferrum College, who has been teaching full time at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School. Martin, 34, succeeds Dean East, who resigned in March after a four-year tenure.

Martin has been the defensive line coach for Ferrum, which has been ranked among the top Division III teams the past two years. He also played one year for the Panthers before transferring to William and Mary, where he was captain of the 1978 team.

Martin played briefly during exhibition season for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League, then for a year with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

"I felt like I was a good candidate for the job and I had the qualifications," Martin said. "I had paid my dues. Part of coaching is that you have to pay your dues first. For the last six years, I've worked with [Ferrum coach Hank] Norton, who has had enough confidence in me as an assistant coach. While I was there, I learned a great deal.

"Every assistant coach, if he doesn't aspire to be a head coach, can't be a good assistant coach. It's an excellent opportunity for me, and I feel like I have a lot to offer right now."

Martin coached briefly at Drewry Mason, where he took the entire boys' track team of seven performers to the 1979 Group A meet.

After his professional career, he was an assistant at Laurel Park, where he played high school football. He moved from Laurel Park to Ferrum College four years ago and joined the Franklin County school system full time this year.

The Franklin County school board pared its original list to five candidates. The list included the Eagles' highly successful wrestling coach, Kris Kahila. It also was reported that Bassett head coach Jerry Cannaday, whose Bengals were unbeaten this past year and won the Piedmont District football title, was among the final candidates. 


 by CNB