Vaughn Martin

No. 92     San Diego Chargers
Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: April 18, 1986 (1986-04-18) (age 23)
Place of birth: Jamaica
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	Weight: 327 lb (148 kg)
Career information
University: Western Ontario
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 4 / Pick: 113
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
As player: San Diego Chargers (2009–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
No notable achievements
Career NFL statistics as of week 17, 2008
Tackles	--
Sacks	--
Fumble recoveries	--

Vaughn Martin (born April 18, 1986 in Jamaica) is a Canadian American football defensive end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chargers in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, the first Canadian university football player drafted by an NFL team as an underclassman. He played university football at the University of Western Ontario.

Contents 1 Early years 2 University career 3 Professional career 3.1 Pre-draft 3.2 San Diego Chargers 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Early years

Born in Jamaica, Martin was raised in Toronto and London, Ontario. He attended South Secondary School in London, playing football for head coach Chris Marcus, and later Mike Stenning. He competed as a linebacker, defensive end, defensive tackle and fullback in high school, recording 90 tackles with five stops behind the line of scrimmage in 2004. The three-time starter was rated one of the top 12 defensive ends in Ontario by All-Star Football and Weir's Magazine. He also received a two-star prospect rating from Rivals.com.^[1]

Prior to beginning his collegiate career, Martin competed for two summers with the Forest City Thunderbirds for coach John Darnell in the Central Ontario Football League. He also was a member of Team Canada, playing in the 2006 NFL Global Junior Championship in Detroit. He was named to the NFL Global Junior Championship X All-Tournament Team after helping Team Canada to a perfect 5-0 record, including five shutouts.

[edit] University career

Martin turned down scholarship offers from Toledo, Buffalo and Ohio University to enroll at Michigan State in 2006, but failed to qualify due to academic transcript issues. He then enrolled at Milford Academy, a prep school in New York.

Martin later returned home to Ontario, where Western Ontario assistant coach Mickey Donovan along with special teams coach Chris Marcus—Vaughn's high-school coach and mentor—convinced him to enroll at the university.

Martin saw action at defensive tackle and end during his first season at Western Ontario. In 2008, Martin performed mostly at defensive tackle earlier in the year, but he also at defensive end. In 12 games, he collected 36 tackles (22 solos) with 3.5 sacks, 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 13 pressures. He returned an interception for a touchdown, registered a safety, caused a fumble and recovered two others. He also played fullback, where he scored twice on a pair of 3-yard rushing attempts, finishing with 10 yards on four carries.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Pre-draft

Martin was not invited to the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine, but impressed several pro scouts in the spring of 2009 when he participated at the University of Michigan's Pro Day. He also set the 2009 draft class bench press record, lifting 225 pounds 44 times.

[edit] San Diego Chargers

Martin became the first CIS player drafted as an underclassman when he was picked in the fourth round, 113th overall, by the San Diego Chargers in the 2009 NFL Draft. Martin signed a four year contract with the Chargers in July 2009.^[2] Chargers hope to have Martin anchor the right side of the defensive line some day. Athletic and intelligent — he scored an impressive 38 on the NFL's Wonderlic Test; scouts also report that he has the bulk, strength, and agility to become a nose tackle like Jamal Williams.^[3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• San Diego Chargers bio