Ruvell Martin (born August 10, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers in 2004. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State. Martin was also a member of the Amsterdam Admirals, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and the Buffalo Bills.

Ruvell Martin
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Martin at Bills training camp in 2012
No. 82, 83, 18
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1982-08-10) August 10, 1982 (age 42)
Muskegon, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:214 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High school:Muskegon (MI) Catholic
College:Saginaw Valley State
Undrafted:2004
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:76
Receiving yards:1,129
Receiving touchdowns:7
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Martin graduated from Muskegon Catholic Central High School in 2000, where he played football and basketball.[1] He was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.[2]

College career

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Martin played college football at Saginaw Valley State. His junior season was highlighted by a three-touchdown game against Northern Michigan.[3] As a senior, he was a first team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection.[2]

Professional career

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San Diego Chargers

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Martin was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2004, but was waived before the season began.[4]

Amsterdam Admirals

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He re-signed with the team in the following offseason and was allocated to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe.[5] He was waived again by the Chargers before the 2005 season. Martin earned All-NFL Europe honors after leading the league with 679 receiving yards and twelve touchdowns for the 2005 World Bowl champion Admirals.[2]

Green Bay Packers

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Martin catches a touchdown pass in 2007.

Martin was signed to the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers in November 2005.[6] He stayed with the team in 2006, starting three games and catching his first career touchdown.[2]

On November 10, 2007, Martin had two touchdowns - his first multiple-TD game of his two-year career - in a 34–0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He finished the game with four catches for 57 yards.[7]

He was considered the third-string quarterback on the Packers behind Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers due to his experience playing the position, but that title was removed after the Packers signed Craig Nall to be their third quarterback.[8]

On September 5, 2009, Martin was released by the Packers in the roster cut downs.[9]

St. Louis Rams

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The St. Louis Rams signed Martin on September 15, 2009.[9] After posting six catches for the Rams, the team did not offer him another contract.[4]

Seattle Seahawks

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Martin signed with the Seattle Seahawks on March 15, 2010.[4] He was released on September 4, 2010, as the Seahawks made final cuts to set their 53-man roster.[9] On November 3, 2010, Martin re-signed with the Seahawks.[10]

Buffalo Bills

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The Buffalo Bills signed Martin on August 24, 2011.[11] He was released during final cuts,[12] but was re-signed early in the season. A late-season hamstring injury hampered his season.[9]

Martin was re-signed by the Bills on March 7, 2012.[13] He was released during final cuts but re-signed quickly after.[9] He suffered an injury that kept him out of at least one game in the season.[14]

After playing

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Martin met his wife Michelle in college; the couple has four children. After his playing career ended, Martin worked as a realtor in Fort Mill, South Carolina.[2] In 2020, former college teammate Matt LaFleur hired Martin in a minority coaching fellowship role.[15] After the 2021 season, Martin left the team.

Current

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Martin will now be arriving at York Preparatory Academy (in business casual) to act as a guest speaker to their business program day.

References

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  1. ^ "Olivet goes to OT to knock off Albion". Detroit Free Press. March 8, 2000. Retrieved October 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e DeCamp, Scott (December 18, 2018). "Former Packers WR headlines 2019 Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame class". MLive. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  3. ^ "Wayne State foils Mercyhurst". Detroit Free Press. November 10, 2002. Retrieved October 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c Gill, Bubba (March 15, 2020). "Seahawks Sign WR Ruvell Martin". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  5. ^ Murphy, Chris (August 19, 2012). "Q & A: WR Ruvell Martin". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  6. ^ Huber, Bill (November 16, 2005). "Practice squad shuffled". Packer Report. 247Sports. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Nickel, Lori. "Adrian Notes: Catching a Lucky Break". Retrieved November 14, 2007.
  8. ^ "Packers expect Favre to start vs. Raiders, keep streak alive". November 30, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Ruvell Martin". TSN. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Boling, Dave (November 13, 2010). "Ruvell Martin added again" (Press release). Tacoma News Tribune. Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  11. ^ "Bills sign WR Ruvell Martin". ESPN. Associated Press. August 24, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  12. ^ "Buffalo Bills run Sam Young off waivers". ESPN. September 6, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "Buffalo Bills re-sign WR Ruvell Martin". NFL.com. March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  14. ^ "Ruvell Martin". Rotoworld. NBC Sports. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  15. ^ Wilde, Jason (May 7, 2020). "Packers: Ruvell Martin special fit for first season-long minority coaching fellowship". Journal Times. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
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