Four months after firing himself as Kent State’s head coach, Doug Martin has finally found himself a new coaching gig.
In a release issued through the school, New Mexico State head coach DeWayne Walker announced Wednesday that Martin has been named the Aggies’ new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Martin will replace Mike Dunbar, who abruptly retired earlier this month.
Walker was reportedly upset about the timing of Dunbar’s retirement, which came less than a month before the April 2 start of spring practice. In his opening remarks regarding Martin’s hiring, Walker appeared to take a not-so-subtle jab at Dunbar’s unexpected departure.
"[C]oach Martin wants to be here in Las Cruces and he wants to be an Aggie,” Walker said. “Being at Kent State and before that at Eastern Carolina, he understands what it takes to build a program. I spent a lot of time talking to him about that very thing. I think he is a leader the players can believe in and buy into his offensive system. After going through the interview process, I feel that Coach Martin is a guy that can come in here and help us get the job done.”
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to come coach at New Mexico State and at a school that is a member of the WAC, a conference that is known for throwing the ball,” Martin said. “When I look at New Mexico State football and some of the things they’ve done over the past several years with facilities and the hiring of Coach Walker, it was perfect fit for me.
“We obviously have to throw the ball much better than we have the last couple of years and we are going to work very hard on our intermediate and three-step passing games. I think fans will enjoy the diversity of the offense and the explosive capabilities in the passing game.”
Martin spent eight seasons with the Golden Flashes, including the last seven as head coach/offensive coordinator. Prior to that, Martin spent 11 seasons at East Carolina, the last seven as coordinator.