WESTMINSTER, Md. – Becky Martin '80 has announced that she will retire at the end of the spring semester. Martin, who has served as head women's basketball coach since 1981 and assistant athletics director and senior women's administrator since 2008, has been on indefinite medical leave since August.
Martin took over the reins of the women's basketball program in 1981 and has been a staple on the Green Terror sideline for the 37 seasons since. In January, the College formally dedicated the floor in the Gill Center as the Rebecca L. Martin Court to honor her legacy to the women's basketball program and College. With a 554-369 record, she retires as the winningest coach in Centennial Conference (CC) history.
Over her tenure, she has produced 45 all-conference players and three All-Americans. Her program has also always been known for its high academic prowess, producing four CoSIDA Academic All-American and numerous appearances on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll. On the court, her teams made 18 postseason appearances and earned six berths to the NCAA tournament, including reaching the 2004 NCAA Sweet 16.
She also served as a senior coach lecturer in the Department of Exercise Science (now Kinesiology), including teaching Principles of Sports Coaching for many years.
A Westminster native, Martin came to then-Western Maryland in 1976 as an undergraduate, participating in basketball, volleyball and track and field. She joined the Green Terror staff as a graduate assistant following her graduation in 1980 and took over as head coach in 1981 after achieving her master's degree at the College.
Martin is a member of both the McDaniel College Sports Hall of Fame, Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame and Middle Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame. With her flexible style, calm demeanor and generous sense of humor that belied her intense competitiveness, her players always came to understand that she cared as much about them off the court as she did about how they performed in competition, and her relationships with them have lasted well beyond their college years.
"I want to personally thank Coach Martin for her long-standing service and commitment to her alma mater, most importantly for her care and concern in developing so many extraordinary student-athletes over the years in our women's basketball program," Director of Athletics Paul Moyer said. "Anyone who has interacted with Becky knows the knowledge and passion that she has for the game, and that her love for McDaniel College and Westminster is only surpassed by the love she has for her former student-athletes. All of her colleagues support Becky in this decision and know that she will continue to be a resource for our staff, not only through the semester, but beyond as a consultant, confidant and engaged alum."
The College will conduct a national search for a new women's basketball coach over the coming weeks.