Out Of Tragedy Comes Opportunity: Erin Martinez Endows Scholarship To Honor Husband, Brother
April 20, 2020 | Football, Buff Club, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — By every definition of the term, Joey Irwin was a University of Colorado fan of the highest order.
He attended every home game possible. He tailgated. He followed the Buffaloes faithfully through thick and thin, good times and bad. He held watch parties when the Buffs were on the road, and even when he was hunting — another of his passions — on a fall weekend, he had a radio with him, making sure he was listening to Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson.
"Joey literally bled black and gold," said his sister, Erin Martinez. "His whole week revolved around Buffs games. He loved going to the games, loved tailgating … He was in love with them since birth. Our whole family always watched CU, and I went there. But he took it to another level."
Indeed, Joey was such a fan that when his longtime friend Mark Martinez became engaged to Erin, Joey's only requirement was that Mark also learn to love the Buffs. Being part of the family meant embracing CU.
"He had to be a Buff fan if we were going to be married," Erin said with a laugh. "That was Joey's rule. No exceptions."
Mark happily complied, and quickly became a Buffs fanatic as well. Joey and Mark became fixtures at CU home games, proudly wore Colorado gear everywhere possible and made sure other family members were fans as well.
There was no question where their loyalties lived.
But in 2017, an explosion rocked the Martinez home in Firestone and took both men's lives, while also severely injuring Erin as well. It is a tragedy from which Erin admits she will never fully recover — but also one from which she is determined to make sure some good emerges.
One of those ways has been to endow a scholarship in the name of Joey Irwin and Mark Martinez to the University of Colorado football program.
"It keeps their spirit and their memory alive," Erin said. "For our family, that is one of the positives — and it's one way to try to heal from this and move forward. Joey would think it was great that his name has an affiliation with the university and the Colorado Buffaloes football team. He would love that, and Mark would love it as well."
The idea for the endowment took root last fall, when CU officials honored Joey and Mark before the Buffs' matchup with USC in Boulder. Erin and her family, including children Nathan and Jaelynn, attended the game.
"It was amazing to us for them to do that because we know how much it would have meant to Joey and Mark," Erin said. "They would have been really excited about that."
It also spurred Erin to begin thinking of a way that she could help the university Joey and Mark loved, while at the same time honoring their memory. With some help from Crestone Capital, she connected with CU Assistant Athletic Director/Development Scott McMichael with the CU Buff Club, and they came up with the idea of a scholarship that would honor the two men for years to come.
"The endowment just seemed like a great idea," Erin said. "We want to make it a scholarship that is for someone from Colorado. Probably Joey's all-time favorite player was Phillip Lindsay, and we wanted to kind of gear it to that."
Now, Erin said, her children and the rest of her family know that the memory of Joey and Mark will continue to be a part of something they loved — and future Colorado Buffaloes will have a chance to know of them as well. Erin and her children will have the opportunity to meet the scholarship recipients and tell them of the men who made their scholarship possible.
"Our family will have pride in that," Erin said. "They'll be able to say, 'My dad and my uncle made this possible. We're helping that player in their honor.' The players can learn about Joey and Mark and they can meet Nathan and Jaelynn. The kids can be a part of that positiveness and part of that silver lining."
That feeling of giving, Erin said, is also something her children can take with them and pass onto the next generation of their family.
"When they are older, they can look back at all of this stuff that has happened and they can be proud of it," she said. "We have tried to make good things come out of a tragedy. I hope that's something they will take with them for the rest of their lives, help them move forward and learn to try to find some kind of good out of everything."
McMichael said the process of helping establish the endowment and working with Erin has been inspiring.
"It has been a real pleasure getting to know Erin and her family," he said. "Hearing the stories of their friends and family getting together for memorable tailgates and watch parties cheering on the Buffs has been truly uplifting. Creating the endowment in Joey and Mark's memory is a great way to honor them and will provide many opportunities for future CU student-athletes. Turning such a tragic situation into something so positive is very inspiring."
Since the explosion, Erin has taken on a role as an activist, doing her best to help make Colorado a safer place and trying to ensure that a similar tragedy does not happen again. She has also created scholarships in Mark and Joey's name at Frederick High School, and has enabled other community improvements as well.
But the passage of time, she said, hasn't softened the blow. Last week marked the third anniversary of the loss of her husband and her brother.
"It's still so raw," she admitted. "It's hard sometimes to think that their names are attached to something like this because it means that they're gone. But we really try to focus on the fact that one, we're helping a kid in their honor. But what is even more cool is that their names get remembered. It keeps their spirit and their memory alive."
Indeed, Joey Irwin and Mark Martinez — Buffs fans extraordinaire — will be part of CU football for generations.
"Now those names will be linked forever," Erin said. "It's going to be nice. We are sure they would like it."
If you are interested in knowing more about creating an endowment or other ways to support CU Athletics, please contact the Buff Club 303-492-2200 or cubuffclub.com.