In 1982, Martin Newton averaged 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on a Samford men’s basketball team that went 11-15.
“When I am your starting point guard, you’re probably not going to be very good,” said Newton.
In 2024, Newton helped Samford make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 24 years. He didn’t help them on the court but led Samford as one of the most revered athletic directors (AD) in program history.
With 58 conference championships as AD, Newton has enjoyed dominance over the Southern Conference but has always sought to improve.
“We have won a conference championship in every sport since I have been here, with the exception of men’s and women’s golf, and there aren’t too many athletic departments that can say that,” said Newton.
Newton has made some of the most impactful coaching hires that Samford University has seen in Bucky McMillan (basketball), Chris Hatcher (football), Todd Yelton (soccer), Tony David (baseball) and Keylor Chan (volleyball).
Newton argues that hiring McMillan out of Mountain Brook High wasn’t as much of a gamble as outsiders think.
“You know it really wasn’t a risk because when you meet Bucky or spend any length of time with Bucky, you just realize he’s got that it factor,” said Newton. “It really wasn’t a risk; it was more of a risk for Bucky.”
Newton’s strategy for finding these incredibly successful SoCon coaches is the ‘three C’s’: character, competency and community engagement. Newton understands the importance of community at Samford, having walked the same campus in his undergrad days that current students do.
Newton looks for character and community engagement that aligns with Samford, which is why he has retained so many key personnel. He looks for competency in coaches who know how to win at the highest levels.
“I mean, you look at Todd Yelton,” said Newton. “Todd Yelton has had opportunities to go to a number of different schools, but he loves it at Samford. He has won championships at Samford and doesn’t want to go. He could leave and make more money at another school, but he loves what Samford stands for and the fact that he has the resources to win championships at Samford.”
Before Newton worked at Samford, he worked at Converse and Nike, where he learned the importance of building relationships and creating a brand.
“There’s an old saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ At Nike, we were just the opposite: if it’s not broken, break it,” Newton said. “And so sometimes you have to figure out, ok, that was last year, and that was fantastic, but what are we going to do this year, and not only how are we going to maintain it, but how are we going to take that to the next level?”
This mentality of always progressing is something that has made Newton so successful as an athletic director.
“You’ve always got to be looking at what’s next; if you embrace success, then you are not looking at what’s next,” said Newton.
Newton is also on the NCAA Division 1 Council and the Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee. He was recently appointed to the NCAA Council Coordination Committee. All these appointments helped him anticipate the changes with NIL and the transfer portal.
Newton was hired in 2011 and has helped build Samford athletics into what it is today. He helped initiate a partnership with Nike and create state-of-the-art facilities. He has helped build Project SAMson, which most sports at Samford utilize. Project SAMson utilizes data analysis and sports medicine techniques to maximize the training regiments of Samford athletes.
“I don’t know how much longer I’ve got at this, but it has been so much of a pleasure and so much fun,” said Newton.
Newton has roughly two years left of his contract as the AD at Samford. As the end of his contract nears, it is likely that he is also nearing retirement. Newton will be hard to replace as the Samford AD, but he looks forward to what Samford will become. Whenever he retires, he plans to enjoy it by watching Samford grow and spending it with family.
“I am 63 years old, and I have been working since I was 21, so at some point, my career will be watching my grandson play high school basketball or doing whatever he wants to do,” said Newton. “Under Dr. Taylor’s leadership, not only Samford athletics but also Samford University is getting ready to skyrocket.”
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