As an undrafted free agent in the 1994 NFL Draft out of Hampton University, former NFL offensive lineman Emerson Martin found himself on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs and appeared destined to bounce around on practice squads for the rest of his career.
That then included a move back to his hometown Carolina Panthers for the 1995 season. Things changed in the blink of an eye around Week Eight of that season with the expansion Panthers, who were 1-5 at that point.
After playing in two games for the Panthers that season, starting one game, Martin was released before Week Eight, putting his NFL career in jeopardy. That’s when former Pittsburgh Steelers’ safety and Pro Football Hall of Famer Donnie Shell stepped up for his fellow HBCU product.
As Martin recalled during an appearance on the “Football Learning Academy” podcast, Shell looked out for him. At the time, Shell was a member of the Panthers’ front office, and ultimately called the Pittsburgh Steelers — Martin’s childhood favorite team – to help the young guard land on his feet.
Following his release from the Panthers, Martin landed with the Steelers and spent the rest of the season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad.
“So that was around game eight. Donnie Shell was in the front office at the time of Carolina and there was a lot of controversy around me no longer playing and how I got to that point. So Donnie called the Steelers and actually made that happen and I became a Pittsburgh Steeler, and that’s thanks to Donnie Shell,” Martin said on the podcast. “If you know anything about him, great guy. An amazing, amazing man, was a great athlete, but more amazing as a person and he was always trying to look out for players, especially him being an HBCU guy, me being an HBCU guy, he wanted to look out for those guys because we were kind of the underdogs. So, he did it for me.”
Landing in Pittsburgh was a blessing for Martin. It gave him stability and, most important, an opportunity. During that 1995 season, Martin jumped onto the moving train of the Steelers and enjoyed a run to the Super Bowl, gaining valuable experience off the field in the process.
Going from an expansion team trying to figure out how to do things on a day-to-day basis, to being part of a team that ultimately would reach Super Bowl XXX was quite the ride for Martin.
“At the end of the day, I think I won. I think we were 0-7 at the time at Carolina. So I went from 0-7, leaving in the middle of Week Eight, going up to Pittsburgh to finding myself in the Super Bowl at end of the year,” Martin said regarding the move to the Steelers.
Of course, as stated earlier the Panthers were not 0-7. They were 1-5 when Martin was cut loose. Carolina ultimately finished its expansion season with a 7-9 record under then-head coach Dom Capers. But the move to Pittsburgh and joining a team run by Bill Cowher was a huge deal for Martin.
From 1995-99, Martin had multiple stints with the Steelers, including being named the NFL Europe Lineman of the Year in 1997 and 1998. Though he played just two career games in the NFL, Martin was a key practice squad player for the Steelers providing depth in the trenches, and had some good years in NFL Europe as a developmental piece.
A back injury ultimately cut his career short, putting him into the coaching profession. He spent some time coaching the Carolina Cobras of the AFL before then getting into the collegiate and high school ranks. He was ultimately a Bill Walsh Intern with the Indianapolis Colts in the summer of 2019, where he worked with the offensive and defensive lines along with helping out with special teams.
Martin was most recently the Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Maulers in the XFL before the league merged with the USFL and the Maulers folded. He was previously the offensive coordinator at Juniata College prior to his stint with the Maulers.
