Luke Martin, right, broadcasts the Indiana State vs. Missouri State men’s basketball game inside Hulman Center on Jan. 25, 2022. Martin, a Columbus East graduate, was recently named the director of broadcasting and radio voice for Southern Illinois.
Submitted photo
Luke Martin is making another leap forward in his broadcasting career.
The Columbus East and Ball State graduate recently accepted the position as director of broadcasting and radio voice of the Southern Illinois Salukis. He was offered the position on July 6 and began his role on Monday.
“It’s funny because Southern Illinois is in the same conference (Missouri Valley) as Indiana State, so I’ve been here before and seen it before. It’s not all brand new,” Martin said. “It’s just trying to get acclimated with the staff, which I’ve gotten to know well at Indiana State, so there’s a bit of a learning curve. I’m looking forward to it.”
Prior to joining Southern Illinois, Martin spent six years as the play-by-play announcer for Indiana State football, men’s basketball and baseball. He also produced news and feature content for the school’s website and digital platforms. He also served a short stint as sports director for a local radio station and hosted the talk show, “In the Haute.”
Martin graduated from East in 2011 and from Ball State in 2014, where he obtained his degree in Digital Sports Production. While at Ball State, he was the host of the Emmy Award-winning “3rd Down Chirp.” He also interned with Major League Baseball Productions following graduation.
Luke Martin, right, interviews Indiana State’s Courvoisier McCauley after a win over South Carolina UpState in the CBI on March 18, 2023. Martin, a Columbus East graduate, was recently named the director of broadcasting and radio voice for Southern Illinois.
Submitted photo
In the summer of 2015, he was the play-by-play announcer for UNC Greensboro for one year until moving to Terre Haute in May 2016.
“Indiana State was great to me. There’s so many people that I’ve gotten to know there, not just at the university, but within the community. I’ve lived in Columbus my whole childhood and was always in Columbus, so the second-longest place I lived was Terre Haute,” Martin said. “They’ve been great to me. It happened to be a really good opportunity for me to leave something I was pretty well acclimated in, and that was SIU. It happens to be in the league, too, so it was a really good fit.”
Luke Martin, right, interviews Indiana State coach Josh Schertz before a game against UIC on Feb. 15, 2023. Martin, a Columbus East graduate, was recently named the director of broadcasting and radio voice for Southern Illinois.
Submitted photo
Martin got the itch for broadcasting when he was in middle school when he listened to former longtime Purdue announcers Joe McConnell for football and Larry Clisby for basketball. Growing up in a family of big Purdue fans, he got every chance he could to listen to them. Even if his family attended a Purdue game, he would listen to the pregame and postgame shows in the car.
In the eighth grade, Martin had the rare opportunity of job shadowing Clisby at a Purdue basketball game. He got to see how Clisby interacted with coach Matt Painter and the access that Clisby had to the locker rooms and before and after the game.
“Hearing how those guys interact with the coaches, how they interacted with the players. That was something where I like, ‘This is really cool,’” Martin said. “At that point, I was like, ‘I know what I want to do.’ It was no question.”
Luke Martin goes through his broadcasting notes before an Indiana State men’s basketball game at Southern Indiana on Dec. 11, 2022. Martin, a Columbus East graduate, was recently named the director of broadcasting and radio voice for Southern Illinois.
Submitted photo
Martin got his first taste of broadcasting when he was at East. He had a segment called the “Luke Martin Show,” which was a weekly football preview show. He got to work closely with former football coach and Hall of Famer Bob Gaddis. He credits Gaddis, who also was the school’s athletics director at the time, and his former teacher Don Baker for setting him up to have success.
“Those two let me learn it on my own. Mr. Baker was more on the video editing and how to put it together. Coach Gaddis was more navigating the coaches, the administrators, athletes and really earned their respects,” Martin said. “Columbus East was my training ground. I wouldn’t be anywhere I am today if it wasn’t for that.”
Luke Martin, left, poses for a photo before the Indiana State vs. Belmont men’s basketball quarterfinal game in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis on March 3, 2023. Martin, a Columbus East graduate, was recently named the director of broadcasting and radio voice for Southern Illinois.
Submitted photo
Martin succeeds Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Reis, who has been the voice of the Salukis the past 44 years. Another part that drew him into the job was Connor Onion, one of his closest friends from college who was a play-by-play broadcaster for SIU and now works as a play-by-play announcer for Big Ten Network and ESPN.
Martin is excited for the next chapter in his broadcasting career in Carbondale, Illinois.
“During my time within the Valley the last six years, I developed a really good relationship with Mike, and I got to see the care he put into the job. I got to see first hand how fascinated the people are with him and how huge of a passion fanbase that he has. He did a lot for the school, but also the school did a lot for him, and that’s what stood out to me,” Martin said. “Connor was someone I talked to. When I was at Indiana State, we would connect and talk with different coaches and relationships. It sounded like a great place to work. I know how well they treated Connor and Mike. It was an opportunity if I was given it, and if Southern Illinois felt I was going to be the right fit, it was a no-brainer.”
