As his nickname "Champ" implies, Leon Martin was just that throughout his competitive and coaching careers.

Martin attended Eagle Grove High School in Eagle Grove, Iowa and was a standout throughout his prep wrestling career.

In 1939, as Eagle Grove was laying the foundations for their reputation as a wrestling power in Iowa, Martin won a state wrestling title at 165 pounds, becoming the fourth Eagle Grove wrestler to win a title.

Martin went on to wrestle at Iowa Teachers College, now the University of Northern Iowa. He competed in AAU and NCAA tournaments, reaching the finals of the 1941 AAU Nationals and the 1942 NCAA Division I Championships.

After stepping off the mat, Martin became the wrestling coach at Algona High School.

He built an impressive program that produced 16 individual state champions over the next 25 years. In the 10 years between 1966 to 1975, Algona won five state team titles (1966, 1969, 1970, 1972 and 1975). Martin also coached five state runner-up teams and a pair of third-place finishers.

His son, Dave, was a two-time Iowa state high school champion in 1965 and 1966 and helped Algona win the state team title in 1966. His son, Paul, was a three-time Iowa state high school champion for Algona, going 90-0 in his final three years of high school while winning titles in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Dave was an NCAA champion and two-time finalist for Iowa State who helped the Cyclones capture the NCAA team title in 1969 and 1970. Paul was a three-time Big Eight champion and a three-time All-American for Oklahoma State.

Because of his efforts, Champ was named a distinguished prep coach by Amateur Wrestling News.

He was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1976 and is also a member of the Iowa High School Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Eagle Grove Hall of Fame.