Troy University Athletics
Troy Announces Carlton Martial Day at The Vet for the “Battle for the Belt”
10/4/2023 1:50:00 PM | Football
TROY, Ala. – The NCAA's all-time leading tackler, Carlton Martial, will be honored with a day of his own when Troy takes on his hometown school, South Alabama, in the "Battle for the Belt" on Nov. 2 in The Vet. Troy Athletics announced Wednesday that the nationally televised game on ESPN2 will be Carlton Martial Day at The Vet.
"Carlton Martial's name is synonymous with Troy Football, and he is beloved by all of Trojan Nation," Troy Director of Athletics Brent Jones said. "Nobody in the history of FBS football has more tackles than Carlton, and certainly nobody played the game with a bigger heart than Carlton. The 'Battle for the Belt' is one of the best rivalry games in college football, and we couldn't think of a better time to celebrate Carlton's amazing career than during this game."
The first 5,770 fans at The Vet that evening, in honor of his 577 career tackles, will receive a commemorative Carlton Martial poster, and fans will be able to purchase a Carlton Martial replica jersey through Athlete's Thread leading up to the game.
Martial will lead the team through Trojan Walk at 4:15 p.m. and serve as the honorary captain for the coin toss before the game. Immediately following Trojan Walk, Martial will have a meet-and-greet with fans in Tailgate Terrace from 4:30-5:30 p.m., signing autographs for fans, including the commemorative poster.
Additionally, the celebration will include an All-American Burger available at concessions featuring two patties, cheese, bacon and more, thanks to Martial's collaboration.
Martial was a two-time finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented to the nation's top player who began his career as a walk-on. He is the only offensive or defensive player in Sun Belt history to earn four-time All-Sun Belt First Team honors and was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year last season.
A three-time All-American, Martial led the country in tackles in 2020 and, as a sophomore in 2019, became just the 12th player and first underclassman in the last 20 years at the FBS level to finish a season with at least 100 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions.
Martial's journey at Troy began as a walk-on as the 5-foot-9 linebacker received no FBS scholarship offers, three FCS offers and four Division II offers. He would go on to finish his career with 26 double-digit tackle games, including a career-high 22 tackles against Army in 2022, the game where he broke the NCAA career tackles record.
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LB
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