October 31, 2000

FURMAN'S MARION MARTIN NAMED NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION
AND COLLEGE HALL OF FAME NATIONAL SCHOLAR ATHLETE

GREENVILLE -- Furman University linebacker Marion Martin has been selected as one of 16 National Football Foundation and College Hall Of Fame National Scholar-Athletes, it was announced today.

A graduate student and two-year starter on the Paladin football team, Martin was awarded the honor based on superior academic performance, outstanding football ability, strong leadership, and citizenship. He will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and be honored along with other award winners and 2000 inductees into the College Football Hall Of Fame at the Foundation's 43rd Annual Awards Dinner on December 12, 2000, at New York's Waldorf-Astoria.

At the Awards Dinner, one scholar-athlete will receive the Vincet dePaul Draddy Trophy. Often termed the "Academic Heisman", this award provides the winner with a $25,000 scholarship towards their postgraduate studies.

"This is a tremendous honor for a remarkable young man, outstanding student, and solid football player," said Furman head coach Bobby Johnson on Tuesday. "We've been fortunate to have a number of great student-athletes in our program over the years, and Marion is certainly one of the very best. What he has done during his time at Furman is a credit to himself, our football program, university faculty and administration, and Furman community."

Martin, a native of Columbia and 1996 graduate of Richland Northeast High School, attended Furman on a full academic scholarship and graduated Summa Cum Laude in May with a 3.90 grade point average in chemistry. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Quaternion, he was the recipient of a National Science Foundation Fellowship and a $15,000 Beckman Scholars Research Grant in 1999, through which he conducted pioneer research in "Mass Selected Matrix Isolation". A 1999 GTE Academic All-America selection, he is currently pursuing a master's degree in chemistry from Furman.

On the football field where he has started in 20 consecutive games, Martin serves as a team captain and has totaled 53 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, one sack, and two forced fumbles for the 6-2, nationally 11th-ranked Paladins. A year ago he registered 66 tackles on a Furman squad that posted a 9-3 record and claimed a share of the Southern Conference championship, including a 28-3 win over North Carolina.

Martin is the fifth Furman player to be named a National Football Foundation and College Hall Of Fame National Scholar-Athlete. Previous winners include Brian Jager (1985), Steve Squire (1986), Tim Stepp (1987), and Chris Roper (1989).