5 Must-Know Curtis Martin Facts

Given the nature of the position, it is no surprise that running backs are some of the most popular, well-known players on the football team. They are trusted to carry the ball over and over again, and in many cases, during the earlier eras of football, asked to put an offense on their backs. Curtis Martin, the legendary back for the New England Patriots and later the New York Jets, did both of those things at an exceptionally high level.

But Martin was more than a force on the football field. He served as a source of inspiration to anyone who watched him, thanks to his backstory. Martin's gridiron accolades, mainly for the Jets, make up only some of the most interesting, inspiring facts of his life, the five most intriguing of which are listed below.

For most players who make it to the NFL, playing professional football is a lifelong dream. Their childhoods are full of early-morning workouts, late-night lifts, and nights spent lying in bed imagining their names being called on draft night. That was not the case with Martin at all. Martin stated that his mother forced him to play football as a youth in order to "stay out of trouble and stay alive," as he grew up in dangerous Pittsburgh-area neighborhoods.

Even after a Hall of Fame career, Martin maintained that he never really played football for the love of the game. Instead, it was a means to an end to support his family. That point of view makes his ridiculous accomplishments even more impressive.

Martin immediately made his impact upon entering the NFL as a member of the Patriots. In his rookie season, the back put up 1,487 yards and 14 touchdowns, numbers that helped him capture the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. If that was not impressive enough, Martin followed up that incredible season with nine more seasons of at least 1,000 yards rushing. At a position that is usually torn apart by injuries, Martin managed something that only two other NFL backs in history had: run for more than 1,000 yards in 10 straight seasons.

His company in that club is fantastic. The only other backs to do so are Detroit Lion Barry Sanders and Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith. If the clientele is any indication, that elite club is quite the achievement.

Despite what his consistency might indicate, Martin was not a complete iron man. No human being could handle the punishment he received on a weekly basis and escape unscathed. He tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) during his 2004 season, when he was 31 and had already endured nine years of NFL hits. An injury of that caliber usually sends players to the sideline for a couple of months, but not Martin.

Even with his torn MCL, Martin played all 16 games, handling 371 carries for 1,697 yards and 12 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl and was selected as a First Team All-Pro, and also became the oldest player in the NFL to lead the league in yardage on the ground. It was not only a fantastic statistical season, but one achieved with unprecedented grit and determination.

The Triple Crown is an award usually reserved for receivers who lead the league in receptions, yardage, and touchdowns. Martin never achieved that, but he did earn a Triple Crown of his own by leading the Jets all-time in carries, rushing yardage, and rushing touchdowns. Martin is more than 2,000 yards ahead of the next-closest player on the list, and there are no active Jets anywhere near him in the record books. Martin will almost certainly sit atop the mountain in New York for a long time coming.

Throughout his long, excellent career, Martin amassed 14,101 rushing yards. That total is good enough to place him in sixth place on the all-time rushing list, ahead of names like LaDainian Tomlinson, Jerome Bettis, and Eric Dickerson. He is also one of six running backs to surpass the 14,000-yard milestone, putting him in another elite club. The only backs ahead of him on the all-time list are the aforementioned Smith and Sanders, along with Walter Payton, Frank Gore, and Adrian Peterson.

Everyone knows about Martin's achievements between the white lines. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever do it, and he will retain his position on every all-time list for a very long time. Martin was one of the few players who was not only defined by his skill, finesse, and athleticism, but also by his toughness, reliability, and football intelligence.

Running backs are simply not built with the combination of traits that Martin displayed throughout his excellent career anymore. While he might not get the recognition of the men ahead of him on the rushing list, Jets fans will be forever grateful for his contributions to the franchise.