New Central College football coach Jeff McMartin never dreamed he would become the program’s head coach while playing there in the late 1980s but an injury started him on the trail. McMartin’s playing career was cut short by a broken arm and he finished school as a student coach. He says sometimes a bad situation turns out to be a blessing in disguise. He says breaking his arm let him see things from a coaching view. McMartin took over for Rich Kackmarynski who resigned after seven years at the helm. He says he knew early on he wanted to get into coaching, and he says to come back to Central is very special. The Dutch are looking to bounce back from a 2003 season in which they finished 5-5, their first non-winning season since 1960. McMartin says anytime they’re not in the hunt for a conference title or playoff berth, people are disappointed. He says there’s a renewed excitement to get back onto the field and play.Central will need to be ready at the outset. They open with non-league games against Augustana of Illinois and Bethel of Minnesota then play their first three Iowa Conference games against teams they lost to in 2003.
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