About Adams State College
A 1982 ASC graduate, Heaton had previously served as ASC's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for six seasons from 2000-05 and was the architect of the 2004 NCAA Division II Defense of the Year as named by the College Sports Report.
The Grizzly defensive units led the RMAC in total defense for three straight years (2003-05) before Heaton – more... departed for CSM and a similar position with the Orediggers, who advanced to the Dixie Rotary Bowl in 2007.
Heaton, who also serves as the Grizzlies' defensive coordinator, resumed that success in 2008 as ASC led the RMAC in total defense. The unit, which had five All-RMAC and a pair of National Football Foundation All-Colorado selections along with a Daktronics Second Team All-Super Region Three pick in linebacker Oscar Villa, surrendered just 255.3 yards per game, the eighth best mark in all of NCAA Division II.
Under Heaton's directon, the Grizzlies also led the RMAC in pass defense while finishing tenth nationally, giving up just 159 yards per game through the air. They were also second in the RMAC in rushing defense at 96.3 yards per game, the 17th best mark in the NCAA and also ranked 11th in the country for sacks, 19th for pass efficiency defense and 21st in tackles for a loss.
In 2009, the Grizzlies also had five defenders recognized by the RMAC, a group led by Villa, who went on to earn First Team Daktronics All-Super Region Three honors. Senior nose tackle Josh Teeples, tabbed as an Honorable Mention All-American by Don Hansen's Weekly Football Gazette, and James Ackel, the RMAC's Defensive Freshman of the Year were also amongst the group as were returning defensive backs Fabrice Nolen and Bryant Williams.
"I am pleased that Marty Heaton agreed to return to ASC as our head football coach. Coach Heaton is above all a great teacher and a mentor," ASC President Dr. David Svaldi said when Heaton was hired for his current position.
"He has been selected as a teacher of the year on six different occasions during his career and is an ASC alum. He is committed to the college and we are fortunate to have him back," Svaldi added.
"Marty brings passion and discipline to our football program. More importantly, he will instill and demand these qualities from our student-athletes both on and off the field," Athletic Director Larry Mortensen said about Heaton.
"He is recognized as a motivator, teacher and workaholic. He bleeds green and is committed to taking the program to new heights," Mortensen added.
Those qualities were immediately evident as the Grizzlies combined to earn eight Academic All-RMAC spots in 2008 while earning 65 total spots on the A.D.'s Honor Roll in the two semesters of the 2008-09 academic year, a list that includes only those student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 or higher GPA in a given semester. The Grizzlies then combined for an athletic-department high 87 spots on the A.D.'s Honor Roll during the 2009-10 academic year and placed 10 men on the 2009 Academic All-RMAC squad, including Villa, named as the Academic Player of the Year.
In his original stint with the Grizzly coaching staff, Heaton coached numerous All-RMAC and All-Region players and guided 3-time All-American and 2-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Year Adam McGurk, All-American and 2004 Cactus Bowl Participant Charles Allgood and 2005 RMAC Defensive Lineman of the Year Ernesto Villasenor, now an assistant coach on the Grizzly staff, who all flourished under Heaton.
Heaton's success continued at CSM. Despite having a young squad, the Orediggers finished second as a team in sacks in 2006 and led all of NCAA Division II in 2007 with 56, a 4.67 per game average. That defense, which allowed less than 300 yards per game, gave up just 90.3 rushing yards per game, and finished second in the RMAC for both total defense and rushing defense. In the process, the Orediggers went 7-5 and qualified for the school's first-ever Dixie Rotary Bowl.
Prior to starting his collegiate coaching career at ASC in May of 2000, Heaton had a wealth of success and experience in the Colorado high school ranks. He served as the first-ever head coach at ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch for four years, leading the Grizzlies to an 11-1 mark, a 4A Prairie League title and a state quarterfinal appearance in 1999.
Heaton also started the Highlands Ranch High School program, and coached the Falcons from 1987-96. While there, Heaton guided the team to three league championships and four state playoff appearances.
From 1981-87, Heaton was the defensive coordinator at Skyline High School in Longmont. In a stretch of just three years, the Falcons won a 1986 Class 3A State Championship after reaching the state semifinals in both of the previous two years.
Heaton won four league coach of the year awards during his high school coaching days and was the Denver Broncos' High School Coach of the Week.
As a player, Heaton was a 2-time All-RMAC defensive back during his 1978-81 career and was selected to the NAIA Academic All-District and All-America teams. A natural leader, Heaton served as ASC's team captain as a senior after helping ASC to a share of the 1980 RMAC title and a Boot Hill Bowl appearance during his junior year, a season that also saw the then ASC Indians win the NAIA statistical title for passing defense after allowing just 609 yards through the air, a RMAC record that still stands today.
Heaton, 50, holds a bachelor's degree in business education and also earned a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1994. He and his wife Cathy, an instructor of developmental reading and writing at ASC, have two children. Daughter Rachel, 17, is a senior at Alamosa High School this year. Son Jacob is 16 and is entering his sophomore year at AHS. – less – More from ZoomInfo »
