Ben Martin (American football)

Benjamin S. Martin (June 27, 1921 – July 24, 2004) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Virginia from 1956 to 1957 and the United States Air Force Academy from 1958 to 1977, compiling a career head coaching record of .460.

A native of Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, Martin played college football at Princeton University in 1941 and then moved to the United States Naval Academy; he was a member of the class of 1946, which graduated early in 1945 due to World War II. After sea duty on the USS Helena, Martin was an assistant coach at Navy from 1949 to 1954; that last team was 8–2, among the best in program history, and won the Sugar Bowl. His first team at Air Force in 1958 was undefeated (with two ties), played in the Cotton Bowl, and finished in the top ten in both polls.

Martin also ran track and field for Navy, earning three letters as a runner.

Martin died at age 83 in 2004 in Colorado Springs, Colorado,  and was buried in Maryland at the Naval Academy Cemetery. He was inducted into the Air Force Falcons Hall of Fame in 2009.