SAN BERNARDINO – He might be the only football player who asked to play defense because he wanted the ball.
“I only caught 10 passes my freshman year,” Demetrice Martin said. “I went in to see George Perles, the head coach, and asked if I could play corner. He said yes right away. I wound up with seven interceptions.”
Seven interceptions are a lot more climactic than 10 catches, and Martin became an All Big Ten corner at Michigan State. Now he coaches defensive backs at UCLA. Some people say that’s the edge of the cliff. Martin says It’s the best coaching seat in the house.