David Martinez joined the FMU family as head men's soccer coach in spring of 2024.
Previously, Martinez served as the head men's soccer coach at Jarvis Christian University, another HBCU, where he led the team to its most successful season in 2022. The team boasted a 10-5-3 overall record and a 7-3-3 conference record, securing a spot in the conference postseason for the first time ever. Under his guidance, the team also reached the RRAC semifinals and maintained an undefeated home record.
During his tenure from 2018 to 2020 as the assistant men's soccer coach at Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Martinez achieved significant milestones, including a regular-season conference championship in 2018 and a national tournament first-round appearance in 2019 with the 16th-ranked team in the nation. Since 2019, Martinez has also been dedicated to individual coaching, helping athletes refine their skills and advance to higher levels of play. In 2016, he contributed as an intern coach for the women's soccer team at Missouri Valley College.
As a player, Martinez's achievements are notable. He was part of the Missouri Valley men's soccer team that reached the national tournament semifinals in 2015 as the third-ranked team and was a finalist in the Heart of America Final Conference in 2016. In 2017, he was honored as the team captain.
Martinez's early career included playing for the Venezuela National Team U15 in 2009, the U17 Ibero Americano Venezuela Professional Team, where he celebrated a championship win in 2010, and the U20 Mineros de Guayana Venezuelan Professional Team.
Martinez is an alumnus of Louisiana State University in Shreveport, where he earned a Master of Science in Counseling degree with a 3.45 GPA. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science at Missouri Valley College in 2017, achieving a 3.4 GPA and making the Dean's List in 2016.
