[1][2][3] Martin was selected out of California Polytechnic State University by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL draft.
[1][3] While playing for Cal Poly University SLO, Martin was the MVP of the Division II Championship Football Game (the "Zia Bowl") in 1980, when he scored 3 touchdowns.
Martin returned 3 punts for touchdowns in the NFL, with the longest being 81 yards versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thanksgiving Day in 1983[8] in front of roughly 77,000 in attendance at the Pontiac Silverdome.
During the last game of his rookie season in 1981 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Martin suffered an injury to his big toe joint which required a then-untested new surgical procedure.
In 1983, the Lions were the Central Division champions and played the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the playoffs at Candlestick Park on New Year's Eve.