Fundraisers created for Stump Martin

I’ve known Marvin “Stump” Martin since I was a 5-year-old transplanted Hoosier just moved to Greenhill Drive in Rossville, Ga. Years later, we worked together here at the paper for more than 20 years, and I can tell you that few people have ever known more about local high school sports than Stump.

Quick, funny story about his days here: Every so often on payday, he would open his pay envelope in front of a crowded Sports Department and ask out loud, “Did everybody else get a bonus?”

Stump also coached my son in baseball for four of the wildest years I’ve ever experienced. It was among the best things to ever happen to my son because he learned so much about handling adversity and, just as importantly, how to handle his own business, but it was not without some drama.

Lord, was there ever some drama. I spent more time on the phone talking to Stump during that time than I did talking to my wife, but through it all, I can honestly say it was always about doing right by the kids. All of them, which is why it was hard. We didn’t always agree on method, but we did agree on that.

Anyway, I’ll never forget asking Stump shortly after he was done coaching his daughter’s softball team if he was interested in taking on a boys baseball team. He said, “Yeah, but you better be ready ‘cause it won’t be like anything else you’ve ever done.”

It wasn’t like grabbing the tail of the lion; it was like jumping into the whole pride wearing a meat suit. Put it this way: As a team, we raised, and spent, something like $35,000 in the first year alone on things like custom-designed and hand-sewn uniforms and travel expenses.

It was like a full-time job, but we looked good and we played well and we made a lot of people mad along the way. We didn’t sneak up on anybody.

I say all of this because Stump has been very ill of late and has a lot of medical bills. The folks in East Ridge held a barbecue fundraiser on Tuesday, and some of his friends and the guys who have been a part of his “Stump on Sports” TV and radio shows have other plans including a high school football senior showcase and a GoFundMe campaign.

Stump doesn’t get the credit he deserves for what he has done for high school sports around here, but the kids who have been on one of his shows understand and the coaches understand. It’s always been about the kids. OK, maybe it’s been a little bit about Stump, too, but now it really is.

Facebook message from Nathan Cook: facebook. com/StumpOnSportsLate Nite/videos/ 176792320993 2176/?t=260

GoFundMe link: gofundme.com/ love-andhelp-for-stump-and-deb.

Barry Courter