Hall of Fame
Coach, Administrator (1924-59)
J.E. “Doc” Martie was a coach, athletic director and physical education department head at the University of Nevada for 37 years, helping to establish Nevada’s athletic tradition. Born in Missouri in 1892, he began teaching school before even graduating from high school. He earned a degree in business from Central Missouri and was teaching and coaching basketball and track at the high school level before joining the U.S. Army in 1917. He spent two years on the battlefields in France during World War I, earning the Distinguished Service Cross, three Silver Crosses and a Purple Heart. After the war, he returned to teaching and coaching and took a position in Elko in 1921 where his track team was the state runner-up and won a state title in his two years there.
Martie came to Nevada in 1923 where he was hired to teach physical education and coach track and basketball. While he had no medical training, he was also assigned to be an athletic trainer for the football team where he earned the nickname “Doc.” As a basketball coach, he won three Far Western Conference championships in 1928, 1932 and 1938. During four seasons as the track coach, his teams rarely lost a dual meet and captured three straight league championships from 1926-28. Among his players were fellow Hall of Fame inductees Jake Lawlor, Roy Bankofier, Jim Bailey and Walter Powers. He continued to further his own education, and earned a master’s degree in physical education. He headed up Nevada’s department of physical education, which at the time also oversaw Nevada’s intercollegiate athletics program until 1939. His accomplishments included establishing a four-year degree in physical education and founding and helping to run the Far Western Conference. In 1939 when the Nevada athletic department was separated from the physical education department, he remained the physical education department chair until 1954 and taught until 1960 when he retired.
In 1960, the University began presenting the Doc Martie Award to the top senior male student-athlete, while he was honored with the Distinguished Nevada award in 1969. Martie remained active in the community until his death in 1982. He established and directed Boy's State in Nevada for more than 25 years and was known for helping youth in a number of organizations.
