MONROE - Pat Martin is seemingly unforgettable for Monroe's sports fans. Most people in town know him as the successful coach who brought home five state titles for the Monroe Cheesemakers football team during its dynasty years of the late 1980s and 1990s. After all, he led what's still known as "the streak" when the Cheesemakers won 43 games in a row.
Today, he still loves to reminisce about those "good old days," but he's more focused on enjoying life with family, friends and some wonderful memories.
Martin was born in Fond du Lac and attended St. Mary's grade school. In high school, Martin said he could be found on the football and baseball fields or even the basketball court. His father coached his Little League teams, and athletics came naturally to him, Martin said.
He graduated from St. Mary's Springs High School in 1965 but didn't really have a plan. He attended St. Thomas College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh where he hoped to become a history teacher.
However, Oshkosh was developing a new physical education major at that time, and Martin decided to go that route instead. He has always kept his love for history - likely stemming from his college-educated parents who kept a strong sense of its importance at home.
Martin graduated with a physical education degree, minoring in health and also becoming certified to teach driver's education. He worked at the Kettle Moraine Boys School while in college, which was part of the prison system, and had experience dealing with students with behavior issues. After graduation, he landed his first job in La Crosse and was likely hired at the school because of his previous experience, along with his tall stature as the school also struggled with behavior issues.
Martin said he loved teaching immediately.
"I thought teaching phys ed was the greatest thing in the world because in many cases, the kids enjoyed that release from the classroom," Martin said.
He was also heavily involved in coaching at that time with football, basketball and tennis. But after six years, and building the football team up to being undefeated three of his last four years there, Martin was looking to move on. He took a job in Fennimore, leading the football team there for two years and accomplishing moderate success. But the family really hoped to be closer to Madison, and looked around.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time (in Fennimore)," Martin said. "The community really welcomed us."
Martin was ready to move up and looked for bigger schools in a larger conference. He applied to the biggest one he could find at the time: Monroe. When he came into town for the job, he was happy to see a McDonald's - not for the food, but for the sense of being in a larger community.
He and his wife, Joyce, enjoyed the bigger feel but still close-knit town. It was the fall of 1978, and Martin enjoyed teaching in Monroe from the start.
The football team, however, was a challenge.
"It wasn't easy," he said. "They were really struggling when I came. Record-wise, the first seven years here, I only had one winning season. Some people forget that."
In 1985, Martin's ways began to catch on and players started to buy in to his methods. He said the group of players that year dedicated themselves to the weight room and the sport - along with dedicating themselves to each other and to their team. That, in combination with some athletic talent, led to a record of 8-1.
In 1986, the Cheesemakers took home the state championship and would bring home four more state titles after that in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994. Martin's state runner-up teams were in 1987, 1995 and 1996, and his teams made it to the semi-final game in 1989, 1993 and 2000. He was named the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1992; he was named the District Coach of the Year six times. He served as the WFCA awards chairman from 1978-1994 and then worked on the WFCA committee. He also served four times as a WFCA district representative. He has been inducted into the Football Coach's Hall of Fame in 2002, the State Hall of Fame, and the National High School Athletics Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008. Martin also was the assistant track coach for more than two decades and coached baseball for two years.
When people ask him to compare the wins, and the years, it's not easy.
"It's kind of like your first child is born," he said. "It's just a little more special - but you love all of them."
The unique thing about all of the championships, Martin said, is that his daughter was the statistician for the 1986 team; his son Mike started on the 1990-91 teams; and his son Rob was a sophomore backup on the 1994 team and was a starter on the 1995-96 runners-up team.
"My kids were extensively involved in a lot of the success we had," Martin said. "The whole community bought into what we were doing. The kids dedicated themselves. It was great to share those championships with my sons, but they were just a part of it. It was special - but just as special with my daughter."
Martin also credits the assistant coaches and all of the other people who gave up a lot of time with family to be so involved with the program.
The memorable games are hard to pin down to just one or two. Martin recalls a game against Sun Prairie where Monroe had seven chances inside the 5-yard line to score but didn't. Monroe took the win by just a few points.
Or a game against Antigo, which had an outstanding football team that year. Monroe beat them 10-7 during a 40 mile-per-hour wind storm. "It was monumental in the sense of what we overcame," he recalled.
As the head coach, the decisions he made never got him down. Usually they were good ones and worked in the team's favor, but even when they didn't, Martin didn't sweat it.
He never felt superstitious either. He said every opponent was different and that meant each situation was different - although he saw common themes, he would always change up his plan to meet the complexities of the other team.
Martin coached until he retired in 2003, spending 34 years coaching total, and 28 of those as a head coach.
At 57, Martin said he was ready to say goodbye.
"The gas was pretty much out of the tank in terms of my ability to stay highly motivated and inspire kids to be better," he said.
Although he missed it enough to be assistant coach for two years, he said he was glad to move on.
When he first retired, Martin said he might have golfed as many as 100 times during the summers. Today, he isn't golfing quite as much but still enjoys the course and time with friends and his wife. After camping a lot while his children were young, he still enjoys heading out with his camper.
Sports aren't completely out of his life, either. He'll still attend Monroe football games but mostly can be found at one of his seven grandchildren's events. He and Joyce enjoy watching the Badger and Packer games and love traveling. They have been to Ireland, Aruba, Mexico and more and they also enjoy family vacations each year.
"We've had a great life here in Monroe," he said.
Although being known as the winning football coach is special, there are more special things in life, Martin said.
So many of his players have come up to him and told him how he was part of making the best years of their lives. He enjoys reminiscing with his players and seeing them out and about.
But there's one story that sticks with the 69-year-old - a player who was the first person in his family to graduate from high school. The student stayed in school to keep playing football under Martin's leadership.
"To this day, whenever I see him, he thanks me for that," Martin said. "Somehow we made an impression on him to start something and finish it. He had a difficult home life. It was easy to drop out then. But he stayed because of football and the teachers who helped him.
"That makes it special. I've had some amazing kids - but he's the one I tell everybody about."
Today, he still loves to reminisce about those "good old days," but he's more focused on enjoying life with family, friends and some wonderful memories.
Martin was born in Fond du Lac and attended St. Mary's grade school. In high school, Martin said he could be found on the football and baseball fields or even the basketball court. His father coached his Little League teams, and athletics came naturally to him, Martin said.
He graduated from St. Mary's Springs High School in 1965 but didn't really have a plan. He attended St. Thomas College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh where he hoped to become a history teacher.
However, Oshkosh was developing a new physical education major at that time, and Martin decided to go that route instead. He has always kept his love for history - likely stemming from his college-educated parents who kept a strong sense of its importance at home.
Martin graduated with a physical education degree, minoring in health and also becoming certified to teach driver's education. He worked at the Kettle Moraine Boys School while in college, which was part of the prison system, and had experience dealing with students with behavior issues. After graduation, he landed his first job in La Crosse and was likely hired at the school because of his previous experience, along with his tall stature as the school also struggled with behavior issues.
Martin said he loved teaching immediately.
"I thought teaching phys ed was the greatest thing in the world because in many cases, the kids enjoyed that release from the classroom," Martin said.
He was also heavily involved in coaching at that time with football, basketball and tennis. But after six years, and building the football team up to being undefeated three of his last four years there, Martin was looking to move on. He took a job in Fennimore, leading the football team there for two years and accomplishing moderate success. But the family really hoped to be closer to Madison, and looked around.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time (in Fennimore)," Martin said. "The community really welcomed us."
Martin was ready to move up and looked for bigger schools in a larger conference. He applied to the biggest one he could find at the time: Monroe. When he came into town for the job, he was happy to see a McDonald's - not for the food, but for the sense of being in a larger community.
He and his wife, Joyce, enjoyed the bigger feel but still close-knit town. It was the fall of 1978, and Martin enjoyed teaching in Monroe from the start.
The football team, however, was a challenge.
"It wasn't easy," he said. "They were really struggling when I came. Record-wise, the first seven years here, I only had one winning season. Some people forget that."
In 1985, Martin's ways began to catch on and players started to buy in to his methods. He said the group of players that year dedicated themselves to the weight room and the sport - along with dedicating themselves to each other and to their team. That, in combination with some athletic talent, led to a record of 8-1.
In 1986, the Cheesemakers took home the state championship and would bring home four more state titles after that in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994. Martin's state runner-up teams were in 1987, 1995 and 1996, and his teams made it to the semi-final game in 1989, 1993 and 2000. He was named the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1992; he was named the District Coach of the Year six times. He served as the WFCA awards chairman from 1978-1994 and then worked on the WFCA committee. He also served four times as a WFCA district representative. He has been inducted into the Football Coach's Hall of Fame in 2002, the State Hall of Fame, and the National High School Athletics Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008. Martin also was the assistant track coach for more than two decades and coached baseball for two years.
When people ask him to compare the wins, and the years, it's not easy.
"It's kind of like your first child is born," he said. "It's just a little more special - but you love all of them."
The unique thing about all of the championships, Martin said, is that his daughter was the statistician for the 1986 team; his son Mike started on the 1990-91 teams; and his son Rob was a sophomore backup on the 1994 team and was a starter on the 1995-96 runners-up team.
"My kids were extensively involved in a lot of the success we had," Martin said. "The whole community bought into what we were doing. The kids dedicated themselves. It was great to share those championships with my sons, but they were just a part of it. It was special - but just as special with my daughter."
Martin also credits the assistant coaches and all of the other people who gave up a lot of time with family to be so involved with the program.
The memorable games are hard to pin down to just one or two. Martin recalls a game against Sun Prairie where Monroe had seven chances inside the 5-yard line to score but didn't. Monroe took the win by just a few points.
Or a game against Antigo, which had an outstanding football team that year. Monroe beat them 10-7 during a 40 mile-per-hour wind storm. "It was monumental in the sense of what we overcame," he recalled.
As the head coach, the decisions he made never got him down. Usually they were good ones and worked in the team's favor, but even when they didn't, Martin didn't sweat it.
He never felt superstitious either. He said every opponent was different and that meant each situation was different - although he saw common themes, he would always change up his plan to meet the complexities of the other team.
Martin coached until he retired in 2003, spending 34 years coaching total, and 28 of those as a head coach.
At 57, Martin said he was ready to say goodbye.
"The gas was pretty much out of the tank in terms of my ability to stay highly motivated and inspire kids to be better," he said.
Although he missed it enough to be assistant coach for two years, he said he was glad to move on.
When he first retired, Martin said he might have golfed as many as 100 times during the summers. Today, he isn't golfing quite as much but still enjoys the course and time with friends and his wife. After camping a lot while his children were young, he still enjoys heading out with his camper.
Sports aren't completely out of his life, either. He'll still attend Monroe football games but mostly can be found at one of his seven grandchildren's events. He and Joyce enjoy watching the Badger and Packer games and love traveling. They have been to Ireland, Aruba, Mexico and more and they also enjoy family vacations each year.
"We've had a great life here in Monroe," he said.
Although being known as the winning football coach is special, there are more special things in life, Martin said.
So many of his players have come up to him and told him how he was part of making the best years of their lives. He enjoys reminiscing with his players and seeing them out and about.
But there's one story that sticks with the 69-year-old - a player who was the first person in his family to graduate from high school. The student stayed in school to keep playing football under Martin's leadership.
"To this day, whenever I see him, he thanks me for that," Martin said. "Somehow we made an impression on him to start something and finish it. He had a difficult home life. It was easy to drop out then. But he stayed because of football and the teachers who helped him.
"That makes it special. I've had some amazing kids - but he's the one I tell everybody about."