From Wildcats to Ducks

Willie Ruffin Martin spent four years at Abbeville High cheering for the Wildcats.
Martin, a 1982 AHS grad, who served as the homecoming queen her senior year, now has a new school that is close to her heart, the University of Oregon Ducks.
Currently a resident of Carson, Calif., Martin has lived in the Golden State for the past 26 years. She is married to Kenneth Martin Sr., with whom she has two children, Kheira, and Kenneth Jr.
It was when Kheira Martin enrolled as a freshman at Oregon last year that Willie Martin allowed the Ducks to fly into her life.
“She wanted a school that had a good academic program,” Willie Martin said of her daughter’s choice of schools. “She also wanted one with a good sports program.”
Oregon certainly fits that bill. The No. 2 Ducks (13-1) will play No. 4 Ohio State (13-1) Monday night for the NCAA football title. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
The Ducks punched a ticket to the title game on Jan. 1 with a resounding 59-20 win over No. 3 Florida State, the reigning national champion. The game took place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., a short 20-minute drive from Carson. The Martins were in the stands cheering for their Ducks.
“It was very exciting to attend the game,” Willie Martin said. “We have been to the Rose Bowl game before. This time we were all Ducked out, so that made this one really special.
“It was a blessing that the game was here and we could go as a family because the kids were home for the holidays.”
Kheira is not the only Martin attending school out of state. Kenneth Martin Jr. is enrolled at Hampton University in Virginia. Even though they are a long way from the house, the Martin kids hear from mom often.
“I talk to my children every day,” Willie Martin said with a laugh. “I am very much proud of them. They are both doing really well.
“We are just really proud.”
Kheira Martin said she is enjoying her time in Eugene, Ore., home of the university. She will be watching Monday’s title game from somewhere on campus.
“We are going to have a big viewing party,” she said.
Kheira Martin has a pretty good feeling as to which team will come out on top.
“I believe in the Ducks,” she said. “We have Marcus.”
That would be Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota, who won this year’s Heisman Trophy for being voted the best player in the country. Mariota is a likely top pick in this year’s NFL draft. Kheira Martin has not bumped into the star on campus.
“He’s like Beyoncé here,” Kheira Martin said. “He can’t just walk around campus.”
The campus, or at least Eugene, is Kheira Martin’s current home. She is a California native. Abbeville, though, holds a special place in her heart.
“That is where my family is from,” she said proudly. “I still have plenty of family there and have always loved to visit. When I was little, I asked my mom where I was from. She told me I was from California. I wanted to say I was from Abbeville.”
Thanks mostly because of her daughter, Willie Martin can now say she is a strong Ducks fan.
“I never thought I would say that the Oregon Ducks would be such an important part of my life,” Willie Martin said. “I like to watch college football and I paid attention to Oregon over the years because of the hype,” Willie Martin said. “Living in California, the (USC) Trojans kind of grow on you.
“We are Duck fans now.”