Dr. Jay Martin is more than men's soccer coach at Ohio Wesleyan University, or the man on the verge of having the most wins in college soccer history.Jay is an institution when it comes to coaching and leadership, and clearly is a model of understands the significance of enriching his student-athletes holds more value than winning or losing soccer matches.
The example he sets for coaching and management transcends the sport of soccer, and has become one of the true gold standards for coaches at all levels.
The coach with the second-highest victory total in the history of men’s or women’s NCAA soccer in all divisions confesses that he can be a contrarian.
On one hand, office No. 105 in Edwards Gymnasium at Ohio Wesleyan University is a museum about the life and times of Jay Martin.
Visitors are bombarded with a display of photos, trophies, jerseys, plaques, caps, plates, flags, clocks and framed newspaper clippings that Martin has accumulated as a soccer player at Springfield College, professional basketball player in Germany, soccer and lacrosse coach and administrator at OWU, and just a plain sports fan.
Hundreds of pictures, many taken during victory celebrations, are underneath a glass overlay on his desk.
Martin has so many autographs of famous athletes — he is close with the great Pele and once had Larry Bird over for dinner — that a professional collector would have to write a check for a large amount to purchase them.
None of that memorabilia, though, means a bag of old soccer balls to Martin compared with the bond he has developed with the boys he has helped turn into men since becoming a coach in 1977.
“You go through life and you accumulate a lot of stuff,” Martin said. “It’s nice, but it’s just stuff.”
Told that the 2011 Bishops have an impressive won-lost record, Martin was surprised to hear the numbers. They are 15-1 and ranked sixth nationally with two regular-season games remaining.
“Oh, is that what it is?” he said. “My focus has been on the process. It has never been about wins and losses. I worry about how our guys are playing at a particular time. If they are playing up to their capabilities, the rest will take care of itself. You just try to make the environment fun for the players. They are the ones who develop and get better. A coach can’t do that. Just make it fun.”
On one hand, office No. 105 in Edwards Gymnasium at Ohio Wesleyan University is a museum about the life and times of Jay Martin.
Visitors are bombarded with a display of photos, trophies, jerseys, plaques, caps, plates, flags, clocks and framed newspaper clippings that Martin has accumulated as a soccer player at Springfield College, professional basketball player in Germany, soccer and lacrosse coach and administrator at OWU, and just a plain sports fan.
Hundreds of pictures, many taken during victory celebrations, are underneath a glass overlay on his desk.
Martin has so many autographs of famous athletes — he is close with the great Pele and once had Larry Bird over for dinner — that a professional collector would have to write a check for a large amount to purchase them.
None of that memorabilia, though, means a bag of old soccer balls to Martin compared with the bond he has developed with the boys he has helped turn into men since becoming a coach in 1977.
“You go through life and you accumulate a lot of stuff,” Martin said. “It’s nice, but it’s just stuff.”
Told that the 2011 Bishops have an impressive won-lost record, Martin was surprised to hear the numbers. They are 15-1 and ranked sixth nationally with two regular-season games remaining.
“Oh, is that what it is?” he said. “My focus has been on the process. It has never been about wins and losses. I worry about how our guys are playing at a particular time. If they are playing up to their capabilities, the rest will take care of itself. You just try to make the environment fun for the players. They are the ones who develop and get better. A coach can’t do that. Just make it fun.”
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