Damn, he was one of my favorites growing up. RIP Harvey. Tuesday, December 25, 2001 Associated Press GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Harvey Martin, once a Super Bowl MVP, died of pancreatic cancer. He was 51. Baylor Health Care Center spokeswoman Maureen Porter said Martin died at 8:24 Monday night at Baylor Medical Center in Grapevine. The four-time Pro Bowler starred for the Cowboys in the 1970s and highlighted his 11-year career by being the co-MVP of the 1978 Super Bowl. Martin underwent major surgery about a year ago and his condition worsened recently. Porter said Martin's family planned to issue a statement by Wednesday. Martin was one of the Cowboys' most popular players in the 1970s and early '80s, setting team records with 114 career sacks and 20 in 1977. That season he was the Associated Press' NFL defensive player of the year. Teammates always joked with Martin that he never returned a fumble for a touchdown and that he was once even tackled by the quarterback. "It never happened to me," Martin said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. "Closest I came was with a fumble. I got tackled by the quarterback, and everybody laughed at me. Both teams. "I killed many a quarterback. I felt like I scored when I took their head off." The Dallas native starred at South Oak Cliff High School and East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University at Commerce) before the Cowboys selected him in the third round of the 1973 draft. Since retiring in 1984, Martin struggled with substance abuse, domestic violence and bankruptcy issues.
That's truely a shame. As much as I hate the Cowboys, I still have a lot of respect for the old timers that played blood & guts football. Rest in peace big guy.
