Martin Bayless

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1962)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Martin Bayless

| image = MartinBaylessByPhilKonstantin.jpg

| current_team = St. Louis Battlehawks

| position = Secondary coach

| number =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|10|11}}

| birth_place = Dayton, Ohio, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lb = 195

| high_school = Dayton (OH) Belmont

| college = Bowling Green

| draftyear = 1984

| draftround = 4

| draftpick = 101

| teams = * St. Louis Cardinals ({{NFL Year|1984}})

Buffalo Bills (1984-{{NFL Year|1986}})
San Diego Chargers ({{NFL Year|1987|1991}})
Kansas City Chiefs ({{NFL Year|1992|1993}})
Washington Redskins ({{NFL Year|1994}})
Kansas City Chiefs ({{NFL Year|1995|1996}})

| pastcoaching = * Buffalo Bills ({{NFL Year|2000|2001}})
Director of player development & special projects

North Carolina (2002)
Graduate assistant
Barcelona Dragons ({{NFLE Year|2002}})
Coaching intern - defensive backs
Amsterdam Admirals ({{NFLE Year|2003}})
Coaching intern - defensive backs & special teams
Carolina Panthers ({{NFL Year|2003}})
Defensive quality control & assistant defensive backs coach
Oakland Raiders ({{NFL Year|2004|2005}})
Assistant special teams coordinator
Houston Texans ({{NFL Year|2006|2007}})
Assistant defensive backs coach & quality control secondary
Minnesota Vikings ({{NFL Year|2008}})
NFL coaching intern - secondary
California Redwoods ({{UFL Year|2009}})
Defensive backs coach
Sacramento Mountain Lions ({{UFL Year|2010}}–{{UFL Year|2011}})
Defensive coordinator & special teams coordinator
Denver Broncos ({{NFL Year|2012}})
Bill Walsh minority coaching internship – special teams
Arizona Cardinals ({{NFL Year|2017}})
Bill Walsh minority coaching internship – special teams coordinator
Your Call Football (2018)
Defensive coordinator & secondary coach
Indianapolis Colts ({{NFL Year|2018}})
NFL minority coaching fellowship internship – secondary & special teams
Birmingham Iron ({{AAF Year|2019}})
Secondary coach & assistant special teams
Los Angeles Wildcats ({{XFL Year|2020}})
Special teams coordinator & safeties coach
Brevard (2020–2021)
Special teams coordinator & assistant head coach
Jacksonville Jaguars ({{NFL Year|2021}})
Intern - special teams quality control
Philadelphia Stars ({{USFL Year|2022}}–{{USFL Year|2023}})
Special teams coordinator & defensive backs coach
Brevard (2022–2023)
Senior defensive coordinator & head JV football coach
New Jersey Generals ({{USFL Year|2023}})
Special teams coordinator & safeties coach
St. Louis Battlehawks ({{UFL Year|2024}}–present)
Secondary coach
Brevard (2024–present)
Defensive coordinator

| pastadmin = * NFLPA ({{NFL Year|2012|2015}})
Regional director of player affairs, collegiate bowl director of football operations

NFLPA ({{NFL Year|2013|2015}})
Player development

| highlights = * Third-team All-American (1983)

| statlabel1 = Tackles

| statvalue1 = 795

| statlabel2 = Sacks

| statvalue2 = 11.5

| statlabel3 = Interceptions

| statvalue3 = 12

| pfr = BaylMa20

}}

Martin Ashley Bayless (born October 11, 1962) is an American football coach and former cornerback and safety. He is the secondary coach for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the United Football League (UFL). He is also the defensive coordinator for Brevard College, a position he has held since 2024. He played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and played college football at Bowling Green State University. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft.{{Cite web |title=1984 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1984/draft.htm |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He is 2nd all-time for most career (FBS) interceptions with 27. After retiring from the NFL in 1998, he joined the Buffalo Bills as a Front Office Executive in 2000. He transitioned into coaching in the college ranks, and he has since held jobs with several professional football organizations.

In 2018, Bayless became the assistant special teams coordinator and secondary coach for the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football.{{cite news|last=Inabinett|first=Mark|url=https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/10/cadillas_williams_joins_birmin.html|title=Cadillac Williams joins Birmingham Iron coaching staff|newspaper=The Birmingham News|date=October 9, 2018|accessdate=October 12, 2018}} The following year, he joined the XFL's Los Angeles Wildcats as special teams coordinator and safeties coach.{{cite tweet|number=1183778307780689921|user=XFLWildcats|author=Los Angeles Wildcats|author-link=Los Angeles Wildcats (XFL)|title=It’s official! We’d like to introduce our coaching staff 💪 They’ll be leading the charge tomorrow during the #XFLDraft!|date=October 14, 2019|accessdate=October 15, 2019}}

In 2022, Bayless joined the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator.{{cite news |last=Archdeacon |first=Tom |title=Archdeacon: A pro like no other plans his return to Dayton |url=https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/archdeacon-a-pro-like-no-other-plans-his-return-to-dayton/2FSQJMYQW5F7JBRJPZLP77WK5M/ |newspaper=Dayton Daily News |date=July 3, 2022 |access-date=April 11, 2023}} On January 1, 2024, it was announced the Stars would not be a part of the UFL Merger.{{Cite news |last=Russell |first=Jake |date=2024-01-01 |title=XFL, USFL announce merger to form the United Football League |language=en-US |work=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/12/31/xfl-usfl-merger-ufl/ |access-date=2024-01-01 |issn=0190-8286}}