SAN FRANCISCO — Doug Martin, the former All-Pro running back for the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has died, his family said in a statement Sunday.
He was 36.
“It is with great sadness to inform you all that Doug Martin passed away Saturday morning,” the family statement said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Oakland Raiders running back Doug Martin (22) during an an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz.
AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
Just 5-foot-9, the Oakland, California-born star was known for his bruising style, earning him the nickname the “Muscle Hamster,” while amassing 5,356 and 30 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons, all but one with the Bucs.
A former Boise State player, he was a first-round pick (No. 31) of Tampa Bay in 2012, and immediately burst onto the scene, rushing for 1,454 yards and 11 TDs and catching 49 passes for 472 yards and another score in his first season, which resulted in a Pro Bowl nod. At the time, he had the third-most yards from scrimmage as a rookie in NFL history, trailing only Eric Dickerson (2,212 in 1984) and Edgerrin James (2,139 in 1999).
Martin’s best season came in his All-Pro year in 2015, when he rushed for 1,402 yards and six TDs and had 33 catches for 271 yards and another score.
He spent two more seasons in Tampa Bay after that, then finished his career in 2018 with the Oakland Raiders for one season.
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