If you'd left Chuck Martin for dead at the midpoint of the 2016 season, no one would have blamed you. Probably not even Martin himself.
Miami (Ohio) was 5-25 in Martin's two-and-a-half year tenure to that point, including an 0-6 start to the 2016 campaign. In retrospect, it's somewhat surprising the RedHawks did not pull the plug right then and there.
But they didn't, and it's become a post-modern example for staying the course in an age where nobody does that.
The program announced a 5-year extension for Martin on Monday. Terms were not disclosed.
Martin is 25-20 since that 5-25 start, peaking with an 8-6 season in 2019 that saw Miami's first MAC championship since 2010 and a trip to the LendingTree Bowl. Miami's 23-8 mark over its past 31 MAC games stands as the best in the conference.
Martin made $533,000 in 2019, which placed him seventh in the MAC and behind coaches with less tenure than him, such as Northern Illinois' Thomas Hammock, Central Michigan's Jim McElwain, and Western Michigan's Tim Lester.
This post will be updated as details become available. In the meantime, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.