Lou Martensen played high school ball at Picayune. He played for the late John Russell at PRCC.

He won All-Star and All-State honors, and was an honorable mention All-American in the National Grid-Wire Junior College poll. During his time at PRCC, he played tight end, defensive end and linebacker.

“Pearl River opened up a lot of doors for me,” he said. “It was the only option I had at the time. I played the monster-man (linebacker) position some as a freshman, as well as the special teams. My sophomore year, they put me in some as a tight end. I played both ways in a lot of games, but we had several guys who did that back then.”

The Wildcats were 9-1 his sophomore season, and he was made a co-captain. But football wasn’t Martensen’s only activity at PRCC. He was a class favorite in 1971. Then he was elected Mr. PRCC in 1972. He was also president of the sophomore class and a member of the PRC Student Council.

Martensen went on to play at Delta State University.

Today, he and his wife, Pam, live in Oklahoma City. He has two sons, two step daughters and two grandsons. He has been employed in the petroleum industry for 40-plus years, working for Baker Hughes and GE Oil and Gas.