Two former Panthers enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame

One of the greatest running backs in NFL and Pitt football history began his Pro Football Hall…

Paul Tople/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT

Former Panther Curtis Martin speaks during the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Fawcett Stadium on Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

One of the greatest running backs in NFL and Pitt football history began his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech with a shocking admission.

“I was never a fan of football,” said Curtis Martin, who played with the Panthers from 1991 to 1994. “I can probably count on one hand how many football games I have watched over the years.”

Without a true passion for football, Martin understood his speech would be something much different than what an audience expects at the annual Hall of Fame induction. As the last of the six inductees to speak on Saturday in Canton, Ohio, Martin left the crowd of more than 12,000 in tears.

“I was someone who was somewhat forced to play football,” Martin recalled as he began to open up about the obstacles he faced as a child.

Growing up in a rough neighborhood in Pittsburgh without a real father figure, Martin described his close relationship with his mother, Rochella Dixon, who forced her son to play sports to keep him out of crime and violence.

After thinking baseball would be too hot to play all summer and realizing he would never grow tall enough to be successful in basketball, Martin picked up the game of football and ran with it — literally.

College recruiters began taking notice of Martin’s rushing performances at Taylor Allderdice High School, and Pitt ended up being the right place for Martin, because of its proximity to his home.

Despite an injury-plagued four years at Pitt, Martin still finished with 2,643 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in his collegiate career. Then, just before the 1995 NFL Draft, Martin received a call from then-New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells asking if he was interested in playing in the AFC East. Martin replied with a stern “yes, sir,” yet almost went back on his decision before conferring with his old pastor.

“I don’t even know that I liked football enough to try to make a career out of it,” Martin said, “but my pastor at the time was a guy by the name of LeRoy Joseph. He [said to me], ‘Maybe football is just something that God’s given you to do those wonderful things you said you wanted to do for other people.’”

That became Martin’s connection to football, and 14,101 yards later, Martin rushed himself out of a life in a difficult neighborhood and onto the list of the NFL’s all-time rushing leaders.

Parcells, who coached Martin with both the Patriots and the New York Jets, loved Martin for his 100 total touchdowns in his career and his durability — Martin only missed one game in his first seven seasons with the Jets. However, what Parcells said he loves the most about Martin is the way he represents professional football players.

“He is, I think, the poster child for what the NFL is supposed to be,” Parcells said. ”You come into the league, maximize your abilities, save your money, make a smooth transition into society and then you pass all those things on to other people.”

But Martin said none of that would’ve happened if it wasn’t for his mother.

Rochella did nothing but guide her son to success, no matter what the cost was. After dealing with the murder of her own mother, she worked two jobs to support her family, hoping that Curtis wouldn’t live a life full of drugs and violence, like his father had. Rochella was all her son had left, and she needed to remain composed in order to be there throughout his young life.

To conclude his speech, Martin stated that the greatest achievement in his life was not his Jets franchise records in rushing yards (10,302) and touchdowns (58). Nor was it his induction to the NFL Hall of Fame.

“My greatest achievement in my life was healing my mother and nurturing my mother,” Martin said.

After those words, the teary-eyed audience stood to applaud Curtis Martin and Rochella Dixon.

Many of the fans gathered at the ceremony in Canton made the trip over from Pittsburgh to celebrate the careers of Martin and another former Panther football star, Chris Doleman, who played at Pitt from 1981 to 1984.

Martin and Doleman became the seventh and eighth former Panthers to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Mike Ditka (tight end, 1957-1960), Russ Grimm (guard, 1977-1980), Rickey Jackson (linebacker, 1977-1980), Dan Marino (quarterback, 1979-1982), Joe Schmidt (linebacker, 1949-1952) and Pitt’s only Heisman Trophy winner, Tony Dorsett (running back, 1973-1976).

Doleman, like Martin, said he was also very family-oriented in making big football decisions.

The former Minnesota Vikings defensive end revealed that he chose to attend Pitt so his parents could come watch his games. He had a long list of people to thank, mentioning his own children three times.

Doleman joined the prestigious 100-sack club early in his career and finished fourth on the NFL’s all-time sack list with 150.5 tackles on the quarterback. He shone throughout the 1989 season, reaching 21 sacks — a Vikings record at the time.

After his long list of those he appreciated, Doleman took a quick second to think about how he had reached the podium in Canton.

“Anything you want in life, you can get through sacks,” he concluded with a smile.

Martin and Doleman joined Willie Roaf, Cortez Kennedy, and former Pittsburgh Steelers Dermontti Dawson and Jack Butler in the group of those honored as the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.