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Monday Special…October 20, 2025.
When you think of Kellen Moore’s years at Boise State, you think of 50-3, his record as a Bronco, making him the winningest quarterback in college football history. If Moore wasn’t so universally loved in Boise, there would probably be an outcry over him “getting all the credit.” It was a team effort, of course, and no one embodied that more than Doug Martin, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 36. Martin, Boise State’s first running back ever to go in the first round of the NFL Draft, was another key cog in that four-year run from 2008-11.
Martin came to Boise State as a multi-talented athlete from St. Mary’s High in Stockton, CA, where he played running back and linebacker. After a redshirt year in 2007, the Broncos still had Ian Johnson back for his senior year, as well as sophomore standouts Jeremy Avery and D.J. Harper. Boise State wanted to get Martin on the field somehow, so he began the 2008 season as a linebacker, and made 11 tackles. But by October, Martin started getting spot duty at running back, and he finished the season with 107 yards on 24 carries.
The 2009 season started with Martin playing behind Avery and Harper, but a season-ending injury to Harper in Game 3 put Martin in the spotlight. While Avery recorded a 1,000-yard season, Martin rushed for 765 yards and 15 touchdowns, including the winning TD in the 17-10 Fiesta Bowl win over TCU. It only got better in 2010 and 2011, with 1,200-plus yards rushing each year. The Broncos ran the ball back then the way they do today, and it was Martin—and the threat of Martin—that was key in Moore being able to do his thing.
Martin came from a great family that happily sent him to Boise State. We called the 2009 Boise State-Hawaii game on KTVB, and on the flight to Honolulu, I struck up a conversation with the lady seated next to me. She mentioned she was from Stockton. “Stockton?” I said. “Have you heard of Doug Martin?” She laughed and replied, “I certainly have. I birthed him.” It was Doug’s mom, Leslie, who was well-known in the city, as it turned out. She was the first African-American woman to serve on the Stockton City Council. Leslie Martin was an absolute joy, and she talked about how glad she was to have her son playing for Chris Petersen.
Martin’s final game at Boise State was in the 2011 Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State. Mark Johnson and I were standing in the end zone for the opening kickoff, and we saw the seas part, with Martin rumbling down the field toward us. The 100-yard kickoff return instantly put the Sun Devils on their heels, and Martin added 151 yards rushing and another TD in the 56-24 win. I saw his mom in the hotel restaurant later that night, and she was beaming about Doug’s big night—yet sad that his days as a Bronco had come to an end. And who isn’t sad today? This is a tough one.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
