[ Page 3 ]

Controversy to celebrity
Martin has been a legend in Dayton since he nearly won the state wrestling championship four years ago. Now he's receiving worldwide attention. All because of a referee enforcing the fine print of the rule book.

It started Sept. 16, when crew chief referee Dave Daly announced at halftime that No. 99 for Colonel White was ineligible to play the second half against Mount Healthy of Cincinnati. The National Federation of State High School Association rulebook says no player may compete without shoes, thigh pads, or kneepads.

''I was like, 'I don't have no knees, no thighs, so how could I put them on?' " says Martin.

So Martin put the shoes around his neck, until school athletic director Carolyn Woodley told him to keep his dignity.

Then he wept. ''Yeah, I was kind of sad because I'd never been told I couldn't do anything in my life," he says.

His friends were worried.

''He was really hurt," says Kristin Draper, 17, a cheerleader who hopes Bobby asks her to the senior prom. ''He told me it was the first time he ever felt handicapped. That's not Bobby. He's really, really funny; he keeps me laughing. He was quiet the whole time."

Colonel White officials argued that Martin had medical clearance to play and parental permission. ''My principal told me not to worry about it," Martin says. ''I'd be back the next week."