John "Jay" Martin '71 Unveils New Book

Springfield College alumnus John “Jay” Martin ’71 is the winningest men's soccer coach in all NCAA divisions with more than 750 wins. His excellence over four decades is second to none, and he offers the secret to his success in his recent book, Lessons From The Best Coach, Develop A Winning Culture That Lasts. 

A native of Hingham, Mass., Martin played men's soccer and earned All-American honors in men's lacrosse while at Springfield. In 2005, he was inducted into the Springfield College Athletics Hall of Fame. Martin translated his success as a soccer and lacrosse player, and turned that into a hall of fame coaching career as well. Martin’s book is a road map for all coaches to create an environment that is sustainable over time. In nine lessons, Martin presents the steps he uses to create a winning team environment. He believes that leaders create the culture, the culture determines acceptable behaviors, and these behaviors are necessary to sustain the winning culture.

“My methods I will admit right from the start, maybe a little different than other coaches,” explained Martin. “I tell my players all the time that it’s their time, and in turn I empower them to take ownership of their team. Players make players better. Good coaches create an environment where the players can get better, and want to get better. A good coach creates an environment that is motivating, challenging, and fun. At the end of the day, it’s the player’s team.”

Martin has been the head soccer coach at Ohio Wesleyan since 1977, a program that has reached the NCAA Division III semifinals nine times. Ohio Wesleyan holds the NCAA Division III record with 43 playoff appearances, and in 2011, Martin guided Ohio Wesleyan to its second NCAA Division III national championship.

“Winning the national championship was special, but what I really remember about that game was having more than 80 alumni from the soccer program at that game,” explained Martin. “For me, that showed what the program is all about, it’s about the players, and their feeling of ownership of the program. For the alumni to show up and be a part of the current success, that’s what I really enjoyed in that moment. The alumni coming back in that moment displayed the culture that has been created, and they wanted to enjoy that moment together.”

Martin not only has spent time at Ohio Wesleyan as head men’s soccer coach, but he has also coached lacrosse, he is a professor of physical education, and also served as the Battling Bishops' athletics director from 1985-2004. His lacrosse teams posted an eight-year record of 104-34, winning three Midwest Lacrosse Association titles, and earning six NCAA playoff bids. Between coaching both soccer and lacrosse, Martin has turned out more than 60 All-America and more than 200 all-region or All-Midwest players.

“It’s all about building relationships, and I think I have been able to build really strong relationships with the players over the years,” added Martin. “When you have built strong relationships, the positive results will come.”

Following his graduation from Springfield College with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, Martin ended up serving as director of sport at the YMCA in Munich, Germany. There, he coached soccer, volleyball, basketball and lacrosse, followed by being named athletics director at the American International School at Dusseldorf. In Germany, he also played soccer for the Kaiserwerth Club, played professional basketball, and served on the staff of the Volleyball Pavilion at the 1972 Olympics.

“My experiences at Springfield College were wonderful and they really prepared me for what was in my future,” added Martin. “The lessons I learned at Springfield College, I use them just about every day. I am thankful for my time at Springfield and I look forward to visiting campus again in the near future.”