- published: 07 Apr 2015
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Curtis James Martin, Jr. (born May 1, 1973) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and New York Jets over the course of ten years. Martin began his professional career with the Patriots, who selected him in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He joined the Jets in 1998 where he finished his career in 2005 after he was forced into retirement due to injury. He retired having amassed the fourth highest total of rushing yards in NFL history. He was selected as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Curtis Jr. was born to Rochella Dixon and Curtis Sr. on May 1, 1973. Curtis Sr. left the family in 1978 after turning to drugs and alcohol leaving Curtis' mother to support the family by working two jobs. Curtis often moved around the different neighborhoods in Pittsburgh during his youth and was consistently surrounded by violence. He and his mother settled in Point Breeze prior to his sophomore year of high school. He began to attend Taylor Allderdice High School which, was known for its highly regarded academic reputation in the Pittsburgh area. He played basketball as a sophomore but did not participate in any sports during his junior year. At the pleas of his mother, who wanted him to participate in a sport to keep him away from the violence, Curtis began to play football during his senior year despite having never cared much for the sport.