When former College of San Mateo All-Conference wide receiver James Johnson returned to campus last year as a facility manager at the College of San Mateo Athletic Center, he was quick to find a way to give back.
James Johnson
Johnson’s first big pitch was for the First Annual Tom Martinez Golf Event — a fundraiser to benefit CSM’s Northern California powerhouse football team — and the daylong round of scramble play is on the verge of being realized. The event, named in honor of the great CSM football, softball and women’s basketball coach, tees off Saturday at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. Harding Park was the site of the 2020 PGA Championship, won by Colin Morikawa. It also hosted the 2009 President’s Cup and will host it again in 2025. The PGA Champions Tour Charles Schwab Cup was held there in 2010, 2011 and 2013. And it had the WGC-American Express Championship tournament in 2005. It also the host site for the final round of the City Championship tournament.
Over 150 people have signed up for the event, with 105 of those registered to play in the event. There are 40 spots still available to play with registration set at $225 per person and $900 per foursome. The price includes golf-cart rental, a swag bag and the post-round banquet at Lake Merced Park, with all proceeds going toward the CSM football team. Tickets are available for the banquet only at $50.
“It’s a great way to get the San Mateo community and the San Mateo football alumni to get together to reminisce, share stories, have fun and play golf,” CSM head coach Tim Tulloch said.
Martinez, who died in 2012, coached at CSM from 1974-2005. He is a legendary figure in CSM sports and beyond. Dubbed the “quarterback whisper,” Martinez was famed for playing mentor to Serra graduate and seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, among many others. Brady’s father, Tom Sr., is slated to play Saturday alongside myriad CSM alumni.
“We know that the other programs, specifically softball, has been able to showcase what Tom’s impact is on their program,” Johnson said. “And we know as far as football he’s also had a big impact on this program.”
Johnson was hired to manage the CSM Athletic Center in May 2023, some 20 years after playing on the Hilltop. A graduate of Serra in 1999, he played two years at CSM, earning an All-Coast Conference first-team selection in 2001, then transferred to the NCAA Division II program at Bemidji State University in Minnesota for two seasons from 2003-04.
Tulloch is entering his 27th season coaching at CSM, and was the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator under former head coach Larry Owens when Johnson played there. Tulloch said Johnson was a dynamic player with a work ethic that was off the charts, and was one of the most popular guys in the locker room.
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“That leaves a long lasting impact on the program and now he’s just continuing to do the same thing, just in a different role,” Tulloch said.
Saturday’s Martinez Golf Event was originally scheduled for May 25, but got postponed in an effort to corral some bigger names for the event.
“We kind of rushed it in the beginning,” Johnson said. “We were excited, and then we were like: ‘No, wait, it was maybe better this month.’”
CSM’s upcoming football season is slated to open Saturday, Sept. 7 at Sierra College. Tulloch said the plan is to make the preseason golf fundraiser an annual event going forward.
“What we intend to do is just make this our annual alumni get together and then just build from there,” Tulloch said.
Johnson said you don’t have to be a CSM alumnus like Julian Edelman to attend. Edelman is not on the current slate of players Saturday, but Tulloch said he hopes there will be some former Bulldogs with Super Bowl rings in attendance.
“It’s an open invite,” Johnson said. “It’s open to the public for anybody who is interested in finding out more about what we’re doing.”
Golfer check-in Saturday at Harding Park is 11 a.m., with a noon start time.
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