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2020 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 186
Celebrating the life of Thomas Martin.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, March 2, 2020
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 3, 2020

 

WHEREAS, Thomas Martin, longtime head coach of the James Madison University mens’ soccer team, died on October 4, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Thomas “Tom” Martin’s illustrious soccer career began as a player at Davis & Elkins College, where he led the Senators to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) titles in 1968 and 1970, as well as a runner-up finish in 1969; and

WHEREAS, coaching at West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1978 to 1985, Tom Martin posted an impressive 114–31–9 record and took his team to four West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and two NAIA championships, earning recognition as national coach of the year in both 1984 and 1985; and

WHEREAS, the remainder of Tom Martin’s legendary coaching career was with James Madison University, where he helped the Dukes to a 359–164–58 record over 29 seasons and was distinguished as the Colonial Athletic Association’s Coach of the Year five times; and

WHEREAS, under Tom Martin’s leadership, teams at James Madison University won five Colonial Athletic Association championships, put up the conference’s best regular season record seven times, and qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament a remarkable 10 times, including two consecutive quarterfinal finishes in 1994 and 1995; and

WHEREAS, Tom Martin’s 478 career wins rank him seventh all-time among coaches who have been with a Division I program for at least 10 years and 18th among coaches from four-year institutions across all divisions; and

WHEREAS, as a testament to his standout career, Tom Martin has been inducted into the James Madison University Hall of Fame, the West Virginia Wesleyan College Hall of Fame, and the Davis & Elkins College Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, in addition to serving as James Madison University’s interim director of athletics from 1998 to 1999 and as an educator for several academic courses at the university, Tom Martin continued to support the school after he retired from coaching in 2014, helping countless students achieve success both in and out of the classroom; and

WHEREAS, Tom Martin will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his wife, Cherylen; his son, Sean, and his family; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Thomas Martin, revered former head coach of the James Madison University mens’ soccer team and an inspiration to sports fans across the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Thomas Martin as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.