Jake William Martin (October 27, 1942 – March 14, 2018) was an American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Georgia Tech and was drafted in the second round (21st overall selection) of the

1964 NFL Draft The 1964 National Football League draft was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers on Monday, December 2, 1963. The first overall pick was Dave Parks, an end from Texas Tech, selected by the San Francisco 49ers. The AFL dra ...

. Martin was subsequently selected by the

in the 1966 NFL Expansion Draft. Martin played high school football at Gainesville High School in

Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...

. He was a teammate of

Billy Lothridge William Lamar Lothridge (January 1, 1942 – February 23, 1996) was an American football Punter, Safety and Quarterback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins. He ...

both at Gainesville High and Georgia Tech. Martin died in Cumming, Georgia, on March 14, 2018, he was 75.

References

1942 births 2018 deaths Players of American football from Gainesville, Georgia American football tight ends Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Chicago Bears players Atlanta Falcons players Minnesota Vikings players {{Tightend-1940s-stub