Martin was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft and rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first ten seasons, culminating in a sensational 2004 campaign where he won the rushing title by a single yard from Seattle’s Shaun Alexander.

Most of that career was spent in Jets colours, the Patriots having lost his rights as a Restricted Free Agent following the 1997 season, thanks to one of the league’s first ‘poison pill’ offer sheets, a contract offer containing a clause that would have voided all but the first year should the Patriots have elected to match it. As a result, Martin made his way to New York to join his mentor Bill Parcells on the Jets and the Patriots picked up First- and Third-round selections in the 1998 NFL Draft by way of compensation.

Consistency was the rock on which Martin’s statistically awesome career was built. In six of his eleven seasons his team made the playoffs, reaching the Super Bowl in 1996 as a Patriot. His most successful season in New York was his first, when Bill Parcells’ side reached the AFC Championship Game, holding a halftime lead before succumbing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos and talismanic quarterback John Elway.

Individually, Martin had his crowning achievement in 2004 when, as noted, he edged out Seattle’s Shaun Alexander for the rushing title by a single yard, becoming the first running back to win the title after his 30th birthday. Unfortunately wear and tear was to pull the rug out from under Martin as he succumbed to a bone-on-bone condition in his knee in 2005, missing the last quarter of the season and falling short of what would have been an historic eleventh consecutive 1,000 yard season. He never recovered sufficiently well to play again and spent the 2006 season on the PUP list, watching Kevan Barlow carry the load, before retiring ahead of the 2007 campaign.

Martin holds fourth spot on the career rushing yardage list, behind only Emmit Smith, Barry Sanders and Walter Payton, though with a 4.0 career ypc, this is due to durability and longevity rather than dynamic play. Martin was never a flashy player, but he was a dependable player and the one yard that led to his late-career rushing title is probably the difference between his making the Hall of Fame and just missing out.

Congratulations, Curtis, on a great career, on being a great Jet and on your election to the Hall of Fame!