Veteran coach Manny Martinez returns to Texas Southern for his third stint as the team’s offensive line coach.

Martinez holds the distinction of being the last offensive line coach at TSU since the mid-1990s to pave the way for a pair of 1,000-yard rushers on two separate occasions. During his first stint at TSU in 2005, running back Brent Wilson rushed for 1,032 yards and 10 touchdowns while Marcus Wright rushed for 1,200 yards in 2010.

A former student-athlete at McMurry University, Martinez began his coaching career at the University of Houston where he served as a student assistant before moving on to Texas A&M as a graduate assistant offensive line coach. In 2001, Martinez received his first break on the collegiate level as the offensive line coach at Dodge City Community College before returning to Texas as the offensive line coach at Blinn College. In his final season at Blinn, Martinez’s line allowed running back Derrick Ross to run for 1,629 yards and 22 touchdowns.

He moved to TSU in 2004 and spent four seasons as the team’s offensive line coach. In 2005, Wilson surpassed the 1,000-yard mark as it marked the first time since 1998 a Tiger running back has rushed over 1,000 yards. He returned to the high school ranks in 2008 as the offensive line coach at Alvin (Texas) High School before returning to TSU in 2010 for his second stint as the team’s offensive line coach. In his first season back at TSU in 2010, Martinez’s line produced a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since his first tour at TSU in addition to a pair of All-SWAC performers in Charles Smith and Skyler Trimble. In 2011, TSU fielded the No. 2 ranked rushing offense in the SWAC (164.5 ypg) and ranked third in sacks allowed.

Martinez moved to the nation’s capital and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2013 as the offensive line coach at Howard University. In 2013, HU led the MEAC in total offense and ranked No. 2 in rush offense with 200 yards per contest.  The offensive line also led the conference in sacks against as they only allowed 13 sacks. Martinez had the opportunity to coach multiple All-MEAC performers during his tenure from 2013-15 at Howard. In quarterback Greg McGhee’s final two seasons behind the offensive line’s protection, he passed for nearly 5,000 yards and compiled 6,000-plus yards of total offense. Running back Anthony Philyaw also dazzled as a true freshman in 2013 with 721 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

In 2016, Martinez returned to Houston and served as the offensive line coach at Stake Jesuit College Prep. Playing in the state of Texas’ top football classification with one of the smallest enrollments, Martinez helped lead the Crusaders to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018. His offensive line paved the way for University of Arizona signee Michael Wiley as Wiley rushed for 2,632 rushing yards on 340 carries with 29 touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons.

In an effort to hone his craft and stay abreast of current trends, Martinez has participated in NFL Minority internships with the Detroit Lions (2001), Houston Texans (2006), Seattle Seahawks (2007) and Minnesota Vikings (2010). He is married to Michelle and they have a son, Matthew, and daughter, Emma Rose.