Marty Akins
| Martin Akins | |
|---|---|
| College | Texas |
| Conference | Southwest Conference |
| Sport | Football |
| Position | QB, KR |
| Jersey # | 10 |
| Class | 1976 |
| Nickname | Marty |
| Career | 1972–1975 |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Born | January 6, 1954 San Saba County, Texas |
| High school | Gregory-Portland High School |
| Career highlights | |
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Martin Ray Akins (born January 6, 1954) is a former College All-American football player and politician. He started as quarterback for the Texas Longhorns in the early 1970s and was the only Longhorn quarterback to start three seasons directing the wishbone offense, and the only wishbone quarterback to ever be an All-American. He was later the Democratic nominee for Texas State Comptroller in 2002.
Contents
Early life
Marty Akins was born in San Saba, Texas. At Gregory-Portland, Akins was coached by his father, Ray Akins, a Texas High School Football Hall of Famer with 302 wins in 37 seasons. Marty Akins, captain of his high school team, was selected as the Texas High School 3A Football Player of the Year in 1971 while he led the Wildcats to the 1971 State Championship game. He had a 60-4-1 record as a junior high and high school quarterback.
He was heavily recruited by many national programs and had always dreamed of playing for Notre Dame. When Notre Dame offered Akins a scholarship he at first decided to take it, but later chose to stay close to home when he was heavily recruited by Longhorn coach Darrell Royal and by former President Lyndon Johnson.[1][2]
Akins was also a star in track and field, winning the 1972 Texas State High School Championship in the shot put.[3]
College career
At Texas, Akins spent his freshman year backing up Alan Lowry. He saw limited play in four games as quarterback, but at the end of the season, emerged as a kickoff returner in the final regular season game and in the 1973 Cotton Bowl, which Texas won. They finished the season ranked #3.
Lowry graduated and by the spring of 1973, Akins had taken over as the starting quarterback.[1] In 1973, with Akins as the starter in every game, despite suffering a broken big toe in the third game of the season, Texas defied predictions and won its 6th consecutive SWC Championship, but lost to Nebraska in the 1974 Cotton Bowl. Akins played in the Cotton Bowl despite having the flu and a temperature over 102 degrees.
Texas started the 1974 season with a win over Boston College, but Akins didn't make it through the game as he suffered a concussion early in the 2nd quarter resulting in him being hospitalized for observation and replaced by Mike Presley. He then sat out most of the next game against Wyoming too, entering the game only once for a 9 yard carry.[4]
Akins returned as the starter and he and Presley shared quarterbacking duties for most of the season. Against Rice, Akins set the record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback. Texas came close to winning the SWC for a 7th straight time, but disappointing upsets to unranked Texas Tech and Baylor, as well as #2 (and eventual National Champion) Oklahoma, broke Texas' streak. They finished on a high note, beating TCU 81-16 and upsetting #7 Texas A&M and then went to the Gator Bowl where they lost to #5 Auburn. In the 1974 season Marty Akins was named the Chevrolet Player of the Game in two televised games.
Akins was again the starter in 1975 and now the captain of a team that included future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Earl Campbell.[5] He led the Longhorns to an 10-2 record, again losing to #2, and eventual National Champion, Oklahoma while beating #20 Arkansas. He was replaced in the TCU game by Ted Constanzo when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Texas was up 14-3 when he left the game and eventually won 27-11.[1][6] Two weeks later, after much doubt that he would even play, Akins, with his knee heavily braced, started against #2, undefeated Texas A&M with the Conference title on the line. But he was injured again on Texas' first offensive play and was again replaced by Constanzo. He entered the game later in the 1st, but was pulled for good early in the 2nd quarter after taking only 9 more snaps.[1][7] Texas A&M won, splitting the Conference Championship with Texas and Arkansas and sending Texas to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. Akins was back in the lineup for the bowl game and led the team to a 38-21 come-from-behind win over Colorado and a final ranking of #9. That season he was twice the Chevrolet Player of the Game in televised games, named to the All-Conference team and became the second quarterback in Texas history to be named an All-American when the FWAA chose him over AP All-American John Sciara.[8]
Akins finished his football career at the University of Texas with a record of 26–9, the most wins since Bobby Layne won 28.
Records
- UT - Most rushing yards by a quarterback, game (188), surpassed by Vince Young in 2005
- UT - Most rushing yards by a quarterback, career (2,020), surpassed by Young in 2005
- UT - Quarterback starts, career (35), surpassed by Peter Gardere in 1992[9]
- UT - Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, career (26), surpassed by Young in 2005
Later life and political career
Akins was selected in the 11th round of the 1976 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent his rookie season on the scout team playing quarterback, defensive back, punter and kicker and was then traded to the New Orleans Saints in 1977. Akins injured right knee never recovered. He played in several exhibition games for the Saints but was only able to play at 90 percent. Before the season started Akins decided to give up pro ball and become a lawyer. He studied law at the University of Houston College of Law, graduated with honors and became a lawyer dealing with environmental, consumer protection, and personal injury cases.[1][2]
In 1987, he joined his father in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, where they became the only father/son inductees.[2]
He practiced law throughout Texas for many years and retired in 2000 to pursue a career in politics. In 2001 he sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Texas, but then dropped out to compete for state comptroller instead.[10] He won the party's 2002 nomination for the State Comptroller's office, but then lost in the general election to incumbent Carole Keeton Rylander.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Carole Keeton Rylander (Incumbent) | 2,878,732 | 64.2 | ||
| Democratic | Marty Akins | 1,476,976 | 35.8 | ||
In 2006 he was hired as the Head Men's and Women's Golf Coach for Huston-Tillotson University and remained in that position for 2 years.[12] In 2009 he was appointed to the Texas State Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers by Governor Rick Perry.[13]
He was inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor in 1995 and was selected by the University of Texas as one of the University's 125 Extraordinary Texas Exes.
Family
Akins and his wife Pam have three children. Their youngest daughter Angela Akins played golf for the TCU Horned Frogs[14] before transferring to the Texas Longhorns for her junior and senior years. Angela Akins was named to the First Team All-Big XII Academic Team.[15][16]
Akins' nephew is former Purdue starting quarterback Drew Brees, who won Super Bowl XLIV with the New Orleans Saints.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Tales of the Texas Longhorns
- ↑ Individual Passing Records
- ↑ http://madmax.lmtonline.com/textarchives/092001/s16.htm
- ↑ http://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Comptroller_of_Public_Accounts
- ↑ http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/07/prweb407777.htm
- ↑ http://governor.state.tx.us/news/appointment/11916/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
| Preceded by | University of Texas Quarterback 1972-75 With: Mike Presley |
Succeeded by Ted Constanzo |
