It's a rain-drenched Tuesday afternoon in Oxford, Ohio, and Chuck Martin is spending a rare hour confined inside his office overlooking Yager Stadium. One decade ago, Martin removed his headset as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator in favor of taking over a Miami University squad amid 16 straight losses. The spacious room with his nameplate next to the door? Martin didn't decorate the place for years. This decision wasn't from the subconscious of a head coach looking to bolt from the mid-major ranks for the first better offer to come along. It's simply a habit of a self-described "work-a-holic" who admits the Miami coaching staff's excessive hours in the film room are because of the head coach who wants to watch the tape over and over and over. His assistants, both full-timers and students who volunteer (This isn't the SEC), don't seem to mind because they love Chuck Martin. One of college football's most entertaining personalities, Martin talks football with the gusto of finance wiz working at the Chicago Board of Trade before technology turned constant chatter into the sound of fingers slamming a keyboard. Any conversation with Martin is a mile a minute, only marked by one-liners that leave the room doubled-over in laughter, but the 55-year-old is already on to the next thought. His old buddies from Rich East High School on Chicago's southwest side and former football and basketball teammates at Division III Millikin University in downstate Illinois will all tell you — Martin never changed. He's blue-collar, forged with an underdog's fighting spirit, and sealed with a belief that all things in life are to be done a certain way. The Martin Way, operating its 10th season in Oxford, is repaving how the program is viewed by those who travel the historic campus bricks of High Street. This wasn't always the case under Martin, as his opening two seasons resulted in a mark of 5-19 overall. 2019 started in notable fashion, taking a bus ride back from Columbus after a 76-5 defeat at the hands of No. 6 Ohio State. "We come back here on campus, and they are yelling, 'You stink!' Martin said. "We lost 76-5. What are they supposed to say? You're great? Anybody can be the rah-rah, happy, fun-loving guy when you win. What are you like when you are 0-6? That's who the hell you are." This season, the RedHawks found out who they were on the night of Sept. 16, defeating rival Cincinnati for the first time in 16 tries and securing The Victory Bell en route to a 10-win regular season. It's only the program's third double-digit win in a regular season since 1977, joining a standout 1998 squad commanded by late head coach Randy Walker and the 2003 team quarterbacked by Ben Roethlisberger, which finished the season ranked 10th in the country. For this bunch, a MAC East regular season title is secured, and the next stop is No. 23 Toledo on Saturday in Detroit for the rights to the MAC Championship. Regardless of the outcome, Miami is bowl-eligible for a fourth consecutive season, its best stretch since the Terry Hoeppner era (1999-2004). "We beat Cincinnati and OU (Ohio University) in the same year," Martin said. That is pretty important. At Miami, to do one or both of those, and to have a chance to hopefully fight for a MAC Championship, it's pretty amazing what the kids have accomplished." With a track record of proven success in the MAC, is Martin now ready to catch the next ride out of town for a bigger program? It's part of the business of college football, and when asked earlier this month about his long-term plans, Martin didn't dodge the subject. "There is a job we would all leave for," Martin said. "If the (Chicago) Bears want me to be their head coach, I am there tomorrow. The Bears get rid of their head coach every couple of years, they never call me, so apparently, they don't want me to be their head coach. But I would leave the interview right now if they called, I would say, 'See you later, and finish it on your own.' We all have 'that job,' but my track record is, I'm not really looking for that job. I've moved twice in the last 24 years." Martin is proud of the fact he's changed zip codes just twice over the past quarter century inside a college coaching business that mirrors IBM's old translation of "I've Been Moved."National Championships at Division II Grand Valley State opened the door to reuniting with Brian Kelly at Notre Dame. After four seasons as a top assistant in South Bend, Martin took a gig many around the game thought he was too good for. At 45 years old, Martin was a first-time Division I head coach, tasked with taking over a program that went 21-53 over the previous six years, which included a near-miraculous 10-win season in 2010. Miami's 10-win regular season campaign in 2023 is nearly the opposite. The RedHawks finished with the MAC’s top-scoring defense over the past 23 seasons, holding conference opponents to under 11 points per game. Linebacker Matt Salopek was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year, collecting 125 tackles and three sacks. The offense, playing on without standout quarterback Brett Gabbert, who suffered a gruesome leg injury in October during a 21-17 loss to Toledo, is doing enough to control games with running back Rashad Amos and standout wide receiver Gage Larvadain. Amos' 10 rushing touchdowns are the most by a Redhawk in four seasons and Larvadain has added 626 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns alongside a pair of ascending pass catchers, the Tracy brothers, Kenny and Javon.In a dramatic victory at Ball State to close the regular season, linebacker Ty Wise turned in a 19-tackle effort. For the second time this season, Miami blocked a potential game-winning field goal, locking up an outright MAC East Crown. Martin’s special teams unit is headlined by kicker Graham Nicholson, one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award given to the nation’s top kicker. Together, it makes three sound phases. There is a football program in Oxford again, and that is thanks to The Martin Way.