Clint Martin will be honored by the Ohio State Former Boxers and Associates, Inc. with a Life Time Achievement Award at the association’s Hall of Fame Awards Dinner.
Clint Martin has been coaching boxing since 1958. During every year since starting his coaching career he has produced at least one Golden Gloves winner in the annual tournament until 2013. One of Martin’s outstanding achievements includes coaching Raynell Williams, who qualified for U.S. Olympic Team to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 as a featherweight.
Seeking a better life, Martin’s parents’ moved their family to Cleveland when he was a child in 1942 from Headland, Alabama. Martin graduated from the old Central High School in 1950. While in high school, he developed his interest in boxing and began training at the Central Recreation Center. After graduating from high school, Martin joined the U.S. Air Force for four years and continued to box. While in the Air Force, he won the Western Air Defense welterweight boxing championship 1952. It was during that same year, he married his wife, Margaret. They have been married for more than 60 years. Martin and his wife have four daughters, three of which are teachers.
Martin worked for Republic Steel (LTV Steel) for 31 years until he retired in 1986. While at the same time working as a longshoreman on the Cleveland docks with union local (1317) International Longshoremen’s Association for 30 years.
Sacrificing, his own boxing goals, Martin began to coach and train boxers. “I received lots of satisfaction from coaching those boxers,” Martin said. He began training boxers with Johnny Papke at the old Big Ten Gym. Martin has trained several national and international boxers such as Sanderline Williams, Henry Hughes and the late Jeff Stoudermire. Another honor Martin received was when he was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. He was inducted into the Ohio State Former Boxers and Associates, Inc. Hall of Fame in 1997.
Martin was elected in 1996 as vice president of the local governing body of the Lake Erie Association of USA Amateur Boxers. Martin has twice been chosen as the coach for the USA amateur boxing teams against the national teams of Cuba and Russia.