Texas, Oklahoma high school coach Dave Martin joins McGuire’s Red Raider staff

**Release from Texas Tech Athletics**

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire announced Tuesday the hiring of longtime successful Texas and Oklahoma high school coach Dave Martin as the Director of Player Development on his charter staff with the Red Raiders.

The role is an important one for McGuire, who quickly plunked Martin to oversee many of the Red Raiders’ initiatives in the Lubbock community. Martin, a former assistant coach under McGuire at Cedar Hill High School, will also be the football liaison for the academic advising staff located at the Marsha Sharp Center for Student-Athletes.

Martin, like McGuire, arrives in Lubbock as one of the top high school coaches in his native state of Oklahoma as he was an impressive 138-38 over 14 seasons as the athletic director and head football coach at Jones High School in the Oklahoma City area. Martin led his alma mater to seven district championships and a playoff appearance in all but one season, making Jones easily one of the top programs in the state.

The highlight of his tenure came in 2016 when Jones claimed the Class 3A state title, the first for the Longhorns in school history. The monumental win for Jones followed similar close finishes under Martin as the Longhorns appeared in the state title game previously in 2011, his fourth season as head coach, and then the state semifinals in 2012 and 2015. Jones returned to the state semifinals a year after that state title victory in 2017 as well.

The 2016 season earned Martin a slew of coaching honors as he was tabbed the All-State Coach of the Year by The Oklahoman, the Jim Thorpe Award Oklahoma Hall of Fame Coach of the Year, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Coach of the Year, the Region 8 Coach of the Year and District Coach of the Year. He was named the top coach in the district seven times over his tenure and was twice recognized with region and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame honors.

As an athletics director, Martin also oversaw two other sport programs in baseball and women’s basketball that claimed state titles during his tenure. His work as an administrator was twice recognized by his peers as he was named the District 8 Athletic Director of the Year following the 2018 and 2019 academic years.

Martin, a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA), the Oklahoma Coaches Association (OCA) and the Oklahoma Football Coaches Association (OFBCA), began his coaching career alongside McGuire as the outside linebackers coach at Cedar Hill under then head coach Robert Woods. Once McGuire was promoted to head coach prior to the 2003 season, Jones shifted over to oversee the defensive backs.

Cedar Hill was the first coaching position for Martin after he earned his degree in science and education from East Central Oklahoma University in 1999. Martin returned to his native state of Oklahoma in 2004 to become the defensive coordinator at Harrah High School just east of Oklahoma City. That position helped him return to Jones as an assistant coach in 2007 before being promoted to the top chair the following season.

Martin and his wife, Tara, are parents to two children, a son, Braiden, and a daughter, Blakeley. Braiden is currently a senior at Jones High School and intends to enroll at Texas Tech next fall, while Blakeley is currently a freshman.

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