John (Jack) Martin was born in South Shields in 1882. He played local football before signing for Lincoln City in 1904. He scored 30 goals in 65 games before joining Blackburn Rovers in 1906.

Blackburn finished in 12th place in the 1906-07 season. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Tottenham Hotspur but won the Lancashire Cup when they beat Liverpool 3-0. Jack Martin proved to be a great buy and ended up the club's leading scorer with 17 goals.

1907-08 season was very disappointing. Blackburn Rovers was knocked out of the FA Cup in the first round when they were defeated by Second Division Leicester Fosse. They also had a first round exit in the Lancashire Cup. Blackburn's league form was little better and after a late rally they finished in 14th place. Jack Martin, Billy Davies, and Edwin Latheron, ended up as joint top scorers with 9 goals each.

After scoring 25 goals in 57 games Martin joined Brighton & Hove Albion. He also played for Millwall before retiring from football.