AVCA and Mobile Sports Hall of Fame member Dr. Peggy Martin begins her third season as the head volleyball coach at Spring Hill after building a record as the winningest coach in the history of NCAA Division II with 33 consecutive winning seasons at the University of Central Missouri where she compiled a 1,064-281-8 record.
In 2006, she was inducted into the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame, making her and her father, Bill Martin, the only father-daughter tandem to appear on the Hall's roll. She is also a member of the McGill-Toolen Catholic High School Hall of Fame and in 2007 she earned a distinguished alumni award from Indiana University for her accomplishments on the volleyball court as well as her dedication to women's sports in general.
Over 33 seasons at UCMO, Martin never suffered a losing season, won 25 matches in 31 consecutive seasons and won or shared 19 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association titles. Her teams made a record 25 consecutive NCAA Div. II Tournament appearances, reached the "Elite Eight" six times and finished as the National Runner-up in 1987. She has won 22 Coach of the Year Awards including the 1987 NCAA Division II National Coach of Year Award.
Martin first served as softball and volleyball coach at UCMO when she started her Division II career in 1975 and even stepped into an assistant women's basketball coaching role for the 1976-77 season.
Her first collegiate coaching experience came at Florida Southern College as a volleyball and basketball coach at the then club level program.
Mobile did not have girl's high school sports when Martin was a child, but she played volleyball and basketball and ran track with St. Catherine's High School's CYO teams where she excelled in each. In college, she played at Indiana University and led the women's basketball team to three consecutive national tournament berths while winning four letters in softball and three letters in field hockey. She completed her bachelor's degree at IU in 1972 and earned a master's degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in 1974. In 1980, she completed her doctorate in physical education at Indiana University.
As one of the driving forces behind the growth of women's collegiate volleyball over the last 30 years, Martin wrote 101 Volleyball Drills and produced four instructional videos Training the Setter, Competitive Volleyball Drills, The Side Attack, and Training the Libero.
Martin's Career Record
Spring Hill College
2009: 8-16; 3-7 GCAC ( .333)
2010: 27-5; 7-1 SSAC West Champs ( .844)
University of Central Missouri (33 seasons)
1975-2008: 1,064-281-8 .789
SHC Record: 2 seasons (2009-present): 35-21 (.625)
Overall Record: 35 seasons (1975-2010): 1,099-302-8 ( .783)