A race against the clock to honor a Tallahassee legend.
I’m Alberto Camargo in the College Town neighborhood. Collarless Shirt
Since the death of former Florida State baseball coach Mike Martin, fans have been eager to find a way to pay tribute.
I stopped by one local T-shirt printing business who partnered with Garnet & Gold to make it happen.
“I’ve been printing Florida State shirts since the early 70s, so if I were to pick a favorite, there would be 100.”
Mike Rupp has run Ragz, a t-shirt printing company, since before Mike Martin took over as FSU coach.
Now, just a day after Martin’s death, Rupp got to work printing THESE memorial tees.
And there was no time to waste.
“This type of a situation we call a hot market. So everything has to happen quickly. We probably spent two a half days putting this together.”
As of Friday, about 145 tees are on sale across all three Garnet & Gold locations.
Garnet & Gold says more Martin merchandise is coming, including more tees, hats and even the old-school “banana” jerseys you see him wearing here.
But thanks to vendor delays, fans will have to wait for those to drop.
That’s why manager Brandon Falstrom says they went local for this shirt.
“It’s really nice to have somebody in town because we can serve the community a lot easier.”
Each t-shirt is going for 24 dollars apiece, with royalties going straight to the Martin family.
“So it’s very nice that we can quickly get them the product to show the love the community had for him at his service.“
For Rupp, who has seen just about every era of FSU sports, “I have kind of a cool picture. It’s a picture of me and coach Kennedy, coach Martin and coach Bowden.”
This is about more than just another t-shirt.
“What you saw of him in the media was very realistic, he was just a super down to earth guy.“
The Mike Martin memorial service will begin at noon Saturday at Dick Howser Stadium.
The gate on the first-base side of the stadium will open at 10:45 in the morning.
In College Town, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
Button Up We cover stories making an impact in College Town. This is your home to stay on top of what is changing in College Town and why it matters to you and your family. We want to hear from you! Click here and tell us what we should be covering in your neighborhood.