MOREHEAD, Ky. — Former Morehead State men's basketball head coach Wayne Martin passed away on Aug. 29 at the age of 79.
A native of Winchester, Ky., Martin earned his bachelor's degree from Morehead State in 1968 and earned his Master's Degree from MSU in 1972.
He returned to his alma mater to lead the men's basketball program from 1978-87 where he guided the Eagles to Ohio Valley Conference Championships and NCAA Tournament berths in 1982-83 and 1983-84. He earned OVC Coach of the Year twice (1981-82, 1983-84). Martin was inducted into the Morehead State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.
He coached three NBA draft picks, including the 1986-87 OVC Player of the Year Bob McCann. Martin helped mentor 12 All-OVC award winners. Seven members of Morehead State's 1,000 career point club were coached by Martin.
Martin's team won 130 games, which at the time ranked third among all men's basketball coaches in program history (now ranks fourth). His tenure was highlighted by the 1985-86 team which finished 25-6 and set the then-program record for wins in a season. That team won an NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina A&T.
His coaching foray also included serving as head coach and athletic director at Pikeville College (now University of Pikeville). He led the PC teams to three national tournament appearances. He worked as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts and began his career as the head coach and a business teacher at Pikeville High School.
In 1990, Martin moved into broadcasting, beginning his management career at WYMT-TV in Hazard, where he served successively as general sales manager and general manager. In 1993, he moved to sister station WKYT-TV in Lexington as vice president and general sales manager before being named president and general manager later that year. He served in that role for nearly two decades.
He rose through the corporate ranks of Gray Media, serving as regional vice president and president of Gray Kentucky Television Inc., which operates WKYT, WYMT, and WBKO in Bowling Green. Martin also served as president of WVLT in Knoxville, Tennessee, before retiring in 2012.
He received the MSU College of Business & Technology Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017. In 2025, the MSU Board of Regents presented Martin with the university's Founders Award for University Service.
Cementing his legacy, Morehead State broke ground in 2026 on Martin Hall, a new campus residence hall named in his honor, set to open in spring 2027. The university also established a new scholarship endowment in Martin's name, which has already raised more than $100,000 in support.
His commitment to the University continued through decades of service on the Morehead State University Board of Regents. Martin served three separate terms on the Board and held the position of vice chair from 2016 to 2020.
Martin's impact on Morehead State Athletics also extends to the next generation, as his son, Matthew, has served as the Eagles' head men's golf coach since 2014-15.
Wayne Martin's legacy reaches far beyond the wins, championships and accolades. It lives on in the players he mentored, the university he served, the community he impacted and, now, in a building that will carry his name for generations to come. For Morehead State, Wayne Martin was more than a coach and alumnus, he was an Eagle whose lasting impact will never be forgotten.
Information regarding memorial arrangements will be shared as it becomes available.
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