Veteran pro Tommy Martin is recovering in a Lubbock, Texas, hospital Thursday after suffering a heart attack that required three stints. Martin, 76, was deer hunting at his lease near Paducah, Texas, Tuesday evening when he started experiencing chest pains and shortness of breath. A friend drove him to a hospital in Childress, Texas, later that night, and the emergency room doctor confirmed that Martin was having a heart attack. He was then flown by Life Flight helicopter to Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock. Though Martin is still in ICU, the prognosis is good.

“He didn’t have to have open heart surgery or a pacemaker put in, so we’re grateful for that,” says his wife, Sheilah. “The doctor said he would cut him loose Friday or Saturday, and then we’re going back to the lease and then on home [Hemphill, Texas]. He has a touch of pneumonia, but they’re on top of that and don’t expect any complications.

“We’re looking forward to Christmas and thanking the Lord that He is looking after Tommy.”

A buildup of arterial plaque that blocked blood flow apparently was the chief cause of Tommy’s heart attack. However, his wife reports that the specialist in charge told the Martins that his condition shouldn’t alter his lifestyle.

Tommy is an avid hunter, fishing guide and tournament angler. He has fished numerous FLW events and, in 1974, won the Bassmaster Classic on Wheeler Lake.