.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
No Cheating This Fullback
October 20, 2000 | Football
When Marty Cheatham was just 11 years old, he was part of a national championship team. Cheatham played for the 1990 Pop Warner champions from Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif. For a young football star with a bright future, it was an experience of a lifetime.
"It was like the Super Bowl to us," Cheatham recalls. "It was the biggest thing ever. The game came down to the last 30 seconds, and we scored a touchdown to win 6-0. It was amazing. I thought it didn't get any better than that. Right there was when I was hooked on football for life."
Cheatham, Princeton's starting fullback, is part of a senior class that is hoping to turn the fortunes of Tiger football. He is a versatile player, and in Princeton's new offensive scheme Cheatham is required to run, block and catch. While he has carried the ball just eight times for 38 yards in Princeton's first four games, he is the team's second-leading receiver with 11 catches for 109 yards. Last fall Cheatham was an H-Back who shuffled in and out of the lineup throughout the game. But when Roger Hughes took over as the Tigers' coach this season, he moved Cheatham to the fullback spot and gave him a chance to be on the field for nearly every play.
"I really like the offensive scheme we're using now," Cheatham says. "I think it does a good job of utilizing everyone. As an H-Back last year my role was a little more limited because of the formations we lined up in. My responsibilities as a fullback are pretty much the same, but it gives me a better opportunity to execute what I have to do. I feel a lot more comfortable."
It all started for Cheatham back in Palos Verdes Peninsula. He began playing Pop Warner football at the age of seven and celebrated a national championship four years later. After six years of playing Pop Warner, Cheatham moved on to Peninsula High School. He was a standout running back and defensive back, and his four years with Peninsula helped prepare him for the college level.
"The program I came from was a very good program," Cheatham says. "Our coach was a no-frills coach. He was very disciplined, and so were his players. The stars of the team had to do just as much work as everyone else, and the work ethic we had has carried over into a lot of things I do."
When Cheatham began looking for a college to attend, he was originally hoping to stay in his home state. He had his eye on schools such as UCLA and Stanford. But when the Tigers began to show interest, Cheatham quickly embraced the idea of coming to New Jersey.
"When a school like Princeton approaches you, you have to take it very seriously," Cheatham says. "To get an opportunity to go to a school like this and play football is really the best of both worlds. When I came here on my recruiting trip, I knew right away that it was the right place for me."
Few freshmen see significant playing time at Princeton. However, Cheatham had the opportunity to play in the defensive backfield. It looked as if Cheatham would never get a chance to carry the ball, but one week of practice on the scout team changed his fortunes.
"We were preparing to play a team that ran the option," recalls Cheatham. "In high school I ran the option. For that week of practice they moved me over to tailback to run against the first team defense. We ran all over them. After that week I earned a spot on the travel squad."
He saw extended duty on special teams as a sophomore and finally cracked the starting lineup last year. He finished with 20 receptions for 161 yards, with 18 of his catches coming in Princeton's final six games. All of Cheatham's hard work, however, could not save the Tigers from a disappointing 3-7 season filled with several last-second defeats.
This season began the same way, with Princeton losing heartbreakers in the final minute to Lafayette and Lehigh. But the Tigers finally enjoyed a dramatic victory in their third game of the season against Ivy League-rival Columbia. Princeton pulled out a 27-24 win in overtime, and Cheatham led all Tiger receivers with five catches for 50 yards. He is hoping the win at Columbia will be a springboard for a successful season.
"I think it was huge for us," Cheatham says. "The first two games of the season were really close. Mentally, that's a huge block for the team to overcome. The coaches have been preaching for us to focus on what we were doing and not look at the scoreboard. We had confidence in our game plan and executed well."
If Cheatham and his teammates continue to execute well and adhere to Coach Hughes' philosophy of improving each week, they will have made significant strides in re-establishing Princeton football.
by Ed Benkin