Dicky Martin's Last Sign Off Voice of the Tomcats Loses Battle to Cancer

Dicky Martin's Last Sign Off

Voice of the Tomcats Loses Battle to Cancer

BY JAMES COLLIER

FOR THE ASHLAND BEACON

Dicky Martin was a one of a kind.

For me, Dicky was first a colleague in the world of sports broadcasting, but he quickly became a dear friend that I still have not processed is gone. I still remember getting the news that Dicky had been diagnosed with cancer and my heart just sunk. I immediately grabbed my phone and texted him just to let him know I was there for him any way I could be, especially as a cancer survivor myself.

  Dicky soon texted back. My final message to him read, “cancer doesn’t know what it's about to get by messing with us ole stubborn farts.”

Dicky’s response was exactly what I expected him to say, “You got that right. Thanks for putting a smile on my face.”

  Dicky did things his way and if you cut him, he probably would bleed maroon. He was tried and true to his Ashland Tomcats and I can still hear him saying ‘Here come the Cats’ while tuning into one of his broadcasts. The one thing that was always common on his calls, his love for Ashland. Win or lose, Dicky loved Ashland and more so, Dicky loved the kids. The best way I can explain his love for Ashland was just as I put it to someone last week who did not have a personal knowing of Dicky. He would run through hell in a gasoline suit for those kids. His love for Ashland was that deep.

  The first time I worked with Dicky was at the 2017 Boys Sweet 16. I had never been around Dicky before and had only heard about his legacy as the Ashland homer. But we were not calling an Ashland game, rather just one of the many games over the four days in Lexington at Rupp Arena. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous and had no idea of what to expect, but once the game got moving, Dicky treated me like we had worked together for years. That would be the first of many games we would work together at Rupp and the beginning of a friendship that I will cherish forever.

  Being a young broadcaster at the time, I was still trying to find my way and watching Dicky during the tournament was a perfect way to learn. I have always prided myself on my detailed preparation, but Dicky took that to a whole different level. There was never a chance of something coming up that he was not ready for on a broadcast. I worked as a color analyst during most of our games together and it did not take long before he would call me coach on the broadcast asking me what I thought was coming or what should happen in that moment of the game. It was at that point, I knew I had earned his respect as a broadcaster.

  Working the State Tournament was always a tiring treat. We arrived on Tuesday night and would always have dinner at Rafferty’s. It would be the only sit-down dinner we would have until Saturday as the rest of the week was consumed with the tournament. We never talked much about the tournament during that dinner, but as soon as we returned to the hotel, it was gametime. Dicky had his thick book full of sheets that contained all his needs for the upcoming games along with record books, team information sheets and even newspapers previewing the upcoming games. His work ethic was tireless and it always showed during his calls. It was the one quality that I made note of that I knew could help me grow in my trade.

One of my fondest memories came during one of my calls of the KHSAA Class A Football State Championship. Dicky always texted me and told me good luck on the call. He was fond of Raceland Football coach Mike Salmons and he was always pulling for the Rams on that first Friday of December. He wanted to see the Rams bring home the title to the area. We would always text after the game but mostly he just wanted to tell me he was proud of my call. That meant the world to me.

  Although many of my memories with Dicky are built around sports, one of the funniest came last year when I ran in the Run with the Tomcats 5K in Catlettsburg. I had built a good professional relationship with Ashland basketball coach Ryan Bonner and wanted to support their team during the run. The shirts runners were given as being a participant in the race were of course, maroon, a color that I do not often wear. However, I wore the shirt during the race and when I took a photo with Coach Bonner in the shirt, the first person I knew I had to send the photo to was Dicky and his reply was such Dicky fashion.

“Oh, Dear God,” Dicky texted. “That’s one for the ages.”

It will never be the same with Dicky gone. From helping him get connected to the Wi-Fi at Johnson Arena during the regional tournament to listening to him bicker at Kent Robinson for ordering a cheap steak at dinner at the State Tournament. From all the great times I was honored to share with Dicky during our time together, the most special moment came the day that I welcomed my first grandson into the family in 2023. Dicky was as excited for me as I was when I returned to the arena that night during the tournament.

  Sure, Dicky was a stubborn ole man who was set in his ways, but inside that thick skin was a loving and caring person who found joy from the happiness of those around him.

Thank you, Dicky for all the great memories. I’ll sure miss you, my friend.