YOUNGSTOWN — Rochelle Martin’s sports journey is a bit of an unusual one. While many children get into athletics through media exposure or parental passion, Martin’s came as a result of an injury.

Fast forward a few decades later, and Martin will be recognized for her efforts on the field, as well as her role as the mayor of Douglasville, Ga.

Martin will be one of 17 new inductees into the Ebony Lifeline Sports Hall of Fame during the organization’s 25th annual banquet on Oct. 31 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Banquet Hall.

The other inductees are Vernon Stone, Rick Ward, Sandy Perkins, Gerald Fordham, Yvonne Bell, Nicole Powell, Tommy Smith, Randy Nuby, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Felix Negron, Victor Stokes, Alayna Smith, Nia Aurie Burney, Kevin Douglas, Ray “Showdawg” Prisby and Johnny Ray Wallace.

“When you get honored from your hometown, it just makes me feel so proud that my community recognizes me and that they see me, because it’s my foundation,” Martin said.

Martin grew up on Youngstown’s South Side and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. But her story began much earlier.

The 9-year-old Martin was playing outside one day, and her mother told her not to venture outside the fence. Against her mother’s orders, she went to play tag and ran into the street.

She was hit by a car, leaving her in a body cast and forcing her to miss the fourth grade.

“They said my femur was fractured, they said I’d never walk again,” Martin said.

When she recovered, Martin’s mother enrolled her in gymnastics to help rebuild her muscles. That opened the door for Martin to become a cheerleader and a member of the danceline, run track and take up ballet.

After graduation from Wilson in 1981, she attended Youngstown State and joined the Ohio Army National Guard. She eventually found herself in Maryland, where she continued her education at the University of Maryland.

Martin’s path toward politics also began at a young age.

As a child of the 1960s, her family was a part of “the movement.” Civil Rights activists would come to her home to meet with her parents, and one march on the Department of Education with her mother stood out to Martin as a child.

“I said, ‘Our school is OK, so why are we marching for books?’ … She had gone to (South) High School, and that’s how we ended up at Wilson, because my mom went to South High School and she didn’t see the best books there, accommodations.”

Those experiences, as well as the family’s activity in the Union Baptist Church, instilled a sense of community into Martin. Eventually, she was elected to the city council in 2001, and by 2015, she was the mayor.

“I thought it’s just like an extension of service and being at home, and you help people in the community,” Martin said. “Politics for me is just an arm for service.”

Her athletic experience and her work in politics led to her induction into the Wilson Hall of Fame in 2017.

“Coming back home for sports, or anything to be recognized, is such an honor,” Martin said. “Because, again, it’s my foundation. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for my hometown.”

The banquet will begin on Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, contact Mervin Wagner at L.E. Black, Phillips and Holden Funeral Home at 1951 McGuffey Rd. in Youngstown.

EBONY LIFELINE’S HISTORY

Robert Thomas and Nick Clark were working at General Motors one day, talking about constructing a hall of fame that highlighted the achievements of the prior generation.

“We figured that with all the crime and everything going around in Youngstown and (Pennsylvania) and all that, we wanted to let the young people know what their elders did and let it shine through sports,” Thomas said.

First came Ebony Lifeline Support Group, which wanted to bring awareness of substance abuse in 1996. Then Charles Fitzpatrick, Larry Hunt, Luther Stubbs, Ed Prayor and Thomas expanded Ebony Lifeline to include the hall of fame banquet in 1997.

The additions continued with a radio show called “Life on Life’s Terms” on Saturday’s on 99.7 FM — which highlights people’s journey to recovery and features addiction specialists — and a sports museum held at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society in Youngstown.

This year, the hall of fame expanded to include Musicians and Entertainers. The category was designed for individuals that “uplifted and inspired our community through talent and cultural impact, just as athletes have through sports.”

This year’s entertainer inductees are and Ward and Wallace.

“It expanded,” Thomas said. “I never thought it would grow like that. But through the beginning, I have to give the credit to my buddy Nick Clark. He knew everybody.”