June 4, 2007

DeKalb, Ill. - Northern Illinois softball coach Donna Martin, who has been a part of the university's athletic program for the last 30 years, has resigned, NIU Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Jim Phillips announced Monday. The Huskies' head coach since 1995, Martin compiled a 350-334-2 record in 13 seasons after serving the previous 13 years as an assistant softball coach at NIU.

"For over 30 years, I have loved NIU as a player and a coach," Martin said. "Twenty-six years is a long time to be in the coaching profession and it is the right time for me to explore some opportunities related to the field of athletics. Although it is definitely a tough decision, I am excited for what the future holds for Huskie Softball and myself. The time is right because of the talent of the 2007 recruits, my confidence in the returning nucleus of players and the support of our administration to continue to move Huskie Softball forward."

Martin, who led NIU to a pair of Mid-American Conference titles (in 1999 and 2000) and earned MAC Coach of the Year honors both those seasons, led the Huskies to six 30-win seasons, from 1995-2000, in her 13 years as head coach. Northern Illinois also won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference under Martin in 1996, when she was named that league's coach of the year, and advanced to the NCAA Regionals that season.

She coached 21 players to first-team all-league honors during her tenure, including 14 All-MAC selections, and tutored the 1999 MAC Player of the Year (Christy Dalton), 2000 MAC Pitcher of the Year (Courtney Witvliet) and 2002 MAC Freshman of the Year (Kathy Dearborn).

Prior to taking over the reins of the program, Martin, a native of Lake Bluff, Ill., served as an assistant coach for the Huskies for 13 seasons, including in 1988 when Northern Illinois advanced to the College World Series and finished seventh in the nation.

During her time as a coach, Northern Illinois players earned 17 CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America honors, while four players were recognized as All-Americans by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

"I remain passionate about NIU and the sport of softball, and I feel very fortunate to leave coaching with that still intact," Martin said. "My NIU coaching experience has been enjoyable because of the student-athletes, past and present, outstanding fellow coaches and administrative staff that I have had the opportunity to work beside in the NIU Athletic Department."

Phillips commended Martin on her dedication and service to Huskie Athletics.

"Donna Martin has had a long and distinguished career with the Huskies, and I have tremendous respect for the contributions she has made to the softball program and to Northern Illinois University," Phillips said. "She has impacted the lives of hundreds of student-athletes, and we sincerely thank her for all of her incredible dedication and service. Donna will always be a part of our Huskie family and we wish her the very best in the future."

A 1981 graduate of NIU, Martin was a four-year letterwinner for the Huskies in both field hockey and softball from 1978-81. She still owns a pair of Northern Illinois softball records and led the team in hitting with a .295 average in 1981. She was a member of NIU's unbeaten 1978 field hockey team which was inducted into the Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.

The 2007 Huskie softball team posted a record of 22-28, 10-12 in the Mid-American Conference.

A national search for Martin's successor will begin immediately.

-- NIU --