The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Taren Martin to be Inducted Into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
11/20/2025 2:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM– Associate head coach Taren Martin is set to be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class.
Martin will be celebrated and formally enshrined during the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Induction on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Martin, a native of Savannah, Mo., graduated from Savannah High School where she was a three-sport All-Missouri State athlete in tennis, basketball and track & field. Martin was the starting point guard on the basketball team and helped lead them to a second-place state finish three times. On the track, she placed second in the state in the 4x800 relay. She was inducted into the Savannah Hall of Fame in 2021.
After high school Martin went on to have a stellar career at Illinois State from 2000-2004. Her senior season she averaged 11.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game while leading the Redbirds to a fifth-place finish and the team's best record since the 1996-97 season. Martin was the first Redbird to record 300 assists, 250 made free-throws, 150 steals and 100 three-pointers.
Martin began her coaching career in 2004 at her alma mater, Illinois State, where she served as a graduate assistant before being named the director of operations while completing her master's degree. Martin played a vital role in rebuilding the Illinois State program. Working alongside Randy Norton and under head coach Robin Pingeton, the Redbirds won three conference titles and made five trips to the post-season including consecutive WNIT semifinal appearances in 2009 and 2010.
Before coming to UAB, Martin was the head coach at Eureka College from 2010-13 where she was awarded the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame 2012 Central Illinois Female Coach of the Year and was the 2011-12 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Martin coached the team to 46 wins which was the third most wins in the 37-year history of the program. She also coached the team to the SLIAC Tournament two years in a row for the first time in school history, broke the school record for three-pointers made in a season for the third year in a row, had three players earn All-Conference awards two years in a row including honorable mention, First Team and Second Team.
Martin was named the associate head coach under Norton in 2013 at UAB and has coached alongside Norton for 13 seasons. She has been a part of 213 victories, one Conference USA regular season championship, five postseason berths and coached the Blazers to at least 15 wins in 10 out of 12 seasons. Martin has coached some of the most decorated players in program history including Conference USA Freshman of the Year Rachael Childress, five All-Conference First Team selections, five All-Conference Second Team honorees, six All-Conference All-Freshmen and two All-Conference Third Team selections.
Head coach Randy Norton on Taren Martin:
"It is my absolute honor to write on behalf of Taren Martin for induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. I have coached for more than four decades at the high school, college, and professional levels, and I can say without hesitation that Taren is one of the most exceptional players, leaders, and people I have ever been around."
"My relationship with Taren goes back more than 20 plus years. I coached her during her senior year at Illinois State, and from the moment she stepped on the court, it was clear she was different. She brought a level of toughness, competitiveness, and maturity that elevated every person around her. She was a coach on the floor, a steadying voice in the locker room, and the heartbeat of our team."
"I have had the privilege of working with her for more than 20 years (six years at Illinois State and 13 years at UAB) in women's basketball. First as a graduate assistant, then an assistant coach, and now as my associate head coach for the past 13 years. Taren has been by my side for every major accomplishment in this program, including conference championships, postseason appearances, and leading young women through some of the most challenging periods in college athletics."
"What sets Taren apart goes beyond basketball. She is a woman of character, integrity, and humility. She is a phenomenal mother to four beautiful children and a devoted wife to her husband, Patrick. She embodies exactly what we want the next generation of athletes to become, selfless, hardworking, grounded in faith, and committed to lifting others higher."
"When I think about Hall of Fame standards, impact, legacy, leadership, excellence, Taren represents all of them. She made her high school program better. She made every college program she touched better. She continues to shape lives as a mentor, coach, and role model."
"I've been coaching for over four decades, and very few people have left the kind of lasting impression that Taren has. She was a phenomenal high school player, a coach's dream in college, and now one of the finest leaders and role models I've ever had on my staff. Taren represents toughness, excellence, humility, and heart. Her influence reaches far beyond basketball as she inspires, mentors, uplifts, and lives the right way every single day. The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame isn't just honoring a great player by inducting her, they're honoring an extraordinary person whose legacy continues to grow."
FOLLOW THE BLAZERS
For more information on the UAB women's basketball team, be sure to follow @UAB_WBBALL on X and Instagram.
Martin will be celebrated and formally enshrined during the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Induction on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Martin, a native of Savannah, Mo., graduated from Savannah High School where she was a three-sport All-Missouri State athlete in tennis, basketball and track & field. Martin was the starting point guard on the basketball team and helped lead them to a second-place state finish three times. On the track, she placed second in the state in the 4x800 relay. She was inducted into the Savannah Hall of Fame in 2021.
After high school Martin went on to have a stellar career at Illinois State from 2000-2004. Her senior season she averaged 11.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game while leading the Redbirds to a fifth-place finish and the team's best record since the 1996-97 season. Martin was the first Redbird to record 300 assists, 250 made free-throws, 150 steals and 100 three-pointers.
Martin began her coaching career in 2004 at her alma mater, Illinois State, where she served as a graduate assistant before being named the director of operations while completing her master's degree. Martin played a vital role in rebuilding the Illinois State program. Working alongside Randy Norton and under head coach Robin Pingeton, the Redbirds won three conference titles and made five trips to the post-season including consecutive WNIT semifinal appearances in 2009 and 2010.
Before coming to UAB, Martin was the head coach at Eureka College from 2010-13 where she was awarded the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame 2012 Central Illinois Female Coach of the Year and was the 2011-12 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Martin coached the team to 46 wins which was the third most wins in the 37-year history of the program. She also coached the team to the SLIAC Tournament two years in a row for the first time in school history, broke the school record for three-pointers made in a season for the third year in a row, had three players earn All-Conference awards two years in a row including honorable mention, First Team and Second Team.
Martin was named the associate head coach under Norton in 2013 at UAB and has coached alongside Norton for 13 seasons. She has been a part of 213 victories, one Conference USA regular season championship, five postseason berths and coached the Blazers to at least 15 wins in 10 out of 12 seasons. Martin has coached some of the most decorated players in program history including Conference USA Freshman of the Year Rachael Childress, five All-Conference First Team selections, five All-Conference Second Team honorees, six All-Conference All-Freshmen and two All-Conference Third Team selections.
Head coach Randy Norton on Taren Martin:
"It is my absolute honor to write on behalf of Taren Martin for induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. I have coached for more than four decades at the high school, college, and professional levels, and I can say without hesitation that Taren is one of the most exceptional players, leaders, and people I have ever been around."
"My relationship with Taren goes back more than 20 plus years. I coached her during her senior year at Illinois State, and from the moment she stepped on the court, it was clear she was different. She brought a level of toughness, competitiveness, and maturity that elevated every person around her. She was a coach on the floor, a steadying voice in the locker room, and the heartbeat of our team."
"I have had the privilege of working with her for more than 20 years (six years at Illinois State and 13 years at UAB) in women's basketball. First as a graduate assistant, then an assistant coach, and now as my associate head coach for the past 13 years. Taren has been by my side for every major accomplishment in this program, including conference championships, postseason appearances, and leading young women through some of the most challenging periods in college athletics."
"What sets Taren apart goes beyond basketball. She is a woman of character, integrity, and humility. She is a phenomenal mother to four beautiful children and a devoted wife to her husband, Patrick. She embodies exactly what we want the next generation of athletes to become, selfless, hardworking, grounded in faith, and committed to lifting others higher."
"When I think about Hall of Fame standards, impact, legacy, leadership, excellence, Taren represents all of them. She made her high school program better. She made every college program she touched better. She continues to shape lives as a mentor, coach, and role model."
"I've been coaching for over four decades, and very few people have left the kind of lasting impression that Taren has. She was a phenomenal high school player, a coach's dream in college, and now one of the finest leaders and role models I've ever had on my staff. Taren represents toughness, excellence, humility, and heart. Her influence reaches far beyond basketball as she inspires, mentors, uplifts, and lives the right way every single day. The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame isn't just honoring a great player by inducting her, they're honoring an extraordinary person whose legacy continues to grow."
FOLLOW THE BLAZERS
For more information on the UAB women's basketball team, be sure to follow @UAB_WBBALL on X and Instagram.
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