Tino Martinez during the 1999 World Series.

By CONNOR RYAN
FORDHAM DAILY

Constantino “Tino” Martinez, a two-time All-Star major league baseball player and the father of a Fordham senior, will deliver the keynote address to the Class of 2014 during Fordham’s 169th Commencement ceremony at Rose Hill on May 17, university officials confirmed Monday.

Martinez, 46, began his 15-year baseball career after securing the Seattle Mariners’ first round draft pick in 1988. He would go on to spend five years playing for the Yankees, beginning in 1996, helping the team win four championships.

As a third baseman and first baseman, Martinez also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays before returning to the Yankees for his last season in 2005.

Since retiring, Martinez worked as a hitting coach for the Miami Marlins and has recently contributed to broadcasts as a commentator for ESPN and the YES Network.

Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, touted Martinez’s career and spoke highly of his personal character in a statement released Monday afternoon.

“Tino Martinez has advanced himself through hard work and perseverance, with humility and gratitude that are not just the hallmarks of good sportsmanship, but the foundations of a life well lived,” McShane said. “By virtue of his Yankee career, he is already a son of the Bronx, and by virtue of his integrity, decency, and commitment to learning, it is our honor to have him address the class of 2014.”

After leaving early to pursue his baseball career, Martinez returned to the University of Tampa to complete his bachelor’s degree, which he earned in 2011. Fordham officials highlighted his commitment to education in Monday’s announcement.

Olivia Martinez, FCRH ’14, Tino’s daughter, did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Fordham Ram.

School officials originally planned to announce this year’s commencement speaker on Thursday. In fact, Monday afternoon’s online announcement appeared to have been a mistake. When asked for further comment, university spokesman Bob Howe appeared to be unaware any announcement had been made on the school’s website. “It’s still coming Thursday,” he said.

To complicate matters further, television commentator Michael Kay, FCRH ’82, first announced that Martinez would be Fordham’s speaker during a live broadcast of the Yankee game last Friday night.

A source in the President’s Office has said Fordham was close to securing Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to deliver this year’s graduation address. It is unclear what happened.

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