Wayne State University Athletics

Martus, a native of Detroit and graduate of Detroit St. Cecila HS, was a walk-on to the Tartar men's basketball program who eventually lettered three times in 1967-68, 1968-69 and 1969-70, and was the second Tartar to captain the varsity three consecutive seasons. He also received a freshman numeral in men's basketball in 1966-67. In his senior season Martus led the Tartars to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championships. Though he played basketball at St. Cecila, captaining his prep team and earning All-State Honorable Mention honors, Martus was not even recruited out of high school to play collegiate ball. He enrolled at Wayne State in 1965, an dafter one year of playing intramural ball was convinced by some of the Tartar players to try out for the junior varsity squad in 1966. In his only season on jayvee ball Martus led the squad in scoring with a 16.9 mark, and made a record 50.0 (63-126) percent of his field goal shots. He also converted 78.8 percent of his free throws. The 1967-68 season, Martus' first on the varsity, was also the second season for Frank Gompert at head coach. At the beginning of the season Gompert had intended to use game captains for the year, but during the season he appointed Martus the team captain. He would remain captain for the next two seasons, joining Wayne State Athletic Hall of Famer Russell Lightbody as the only Tartar ever to captain the men's basketball squad three times. Gompert cited Martus in his senior year as "the best 6-1 forward around." In his junior season Martus led the Tartars in scoring with 320 points and a 13.9 scoring average, and in field goal accuracy at 54.2 percent, converting on 130 of 240 attempts. His 7.8 rebounding average and 79 assists were second-best on the squad. Gompert selected Martus to receive the squad's Fred M. Fisher Most Valuable Player Award. Martus' role changed during the 1969-70 season, as Gompert used him to direct the Tartars' offense. He led the squad in assist with 110, but his scoring dropped off to a respectable 10.4 points per game. Upon conclusion of the 1969-70 season Martus finished second on the Tartars' all-time list in field goal percentage at 49.7, and fifth on the all-time list in free throw percentage at 72.7 percent. Martus' leadership helped Wayne State receive their first-ever bid to the NCAA Division II play-offs in 1969-70. Playing in the then-College Division play-offs (combined Division II and Division III schools), the Tartars went to Central Michigan to appear in the Great Lakes Regional. Wayne lost to host Central Michigan 73-61 in the first round, then dropped the consolation game 83-80 to Capital to finish with a 17-8 overall record. Martus received his Bachelor of Arts in Education degree in 1970, and joined the Wayne State staff as graduate assistant basketball coach (1971-72) and Matthaei Assistant Facility Manager while pursuing graduate studies in health and physical education. He completed his master's degree in 1977 from WSU. He left Wayne in 1972 to join General Motors, where today he is Manager of Executive Health Activity at GM's World Headquarters Building in Detroit. Martus also helps advise the corporation on executive fitness for its senior executives. Martus and his wife, Carol, a 1974 Wayne State grad, reside in Clarkston, Michigan, and have two children, son Ryan and daughter Christina.