INDIANAPOLIS -- For 11 seasons as a player, Curtis Martin never sought the spotlight. On Saturday night, it finally found him -- and he didn't mind one bit.

Martin, the quiet, dignified and tough running back who helped legitimize the New York Jets in the late 1990s, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility. He joined Joe Namath, Don Maynard and coach Weeb Ewbank as the only Hall of Famers who carved their legacy with the Jets.

It could've been a New York-New York party, but former Giants and Jets coach Bill Parcells -- a two-time Super Bowl champion -- wasn't among the five modern-era inductees.

Curtis Martin rushed for 14,101 yards, gaining 4.0 yards per carry. Al Pereira/Getty Images

Martin, who played for Parcells, called it a "bittersweet" moment because his mentor was overlooked.

"There's God and there's Parcells, as far the meaning they've had on my career," Martin said in a conference call with reporters, adding: "If I did dream about anything, it would've been going into Hall of Fame with guy I feel is responsible for my career. ... I was looking forward to either Bill going in or us going in together."

Martin said he will ask the former coach to present him at the induction ceremony in August. They spoke moments before the televised selections were announced, expressing their affection for one another.

"I'm very, very happy that Curtis got in. He's really deserving," Parcells told ESPNNewYork.com, preferring to keep the focus on Martin and not his own situation.

The Class of '12 also included Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy and Willie Roaf. Jack Butler, a Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback from the 1950s, also was elected.

Martin, who last played in 2005, became the 29th modern-era running back elected to the Hall. He's the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history, with 14,101 yards.

This caps a remarkable football journey for Martin, 38, who overcame a tough upbringing in his hometown of Pittsburgh. As a youngster, he was surrounded by violence on the streets and, in one horrific case, in his own home. He walked into his grandmother's bedroom and discovered she had been murdered by an intruder, a knife still in her chest.

"Football is something I did so I didn't end up dead or in jail," Martin said.

He didn't play organized ball until his senior year at Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh. He scored on a long run the first time he touched the ball, and he never slowed down, going from Pitt to the New England Patriots to the Jets.

Martin was the embodiment of consistency and durability. He wasn't the biggest or the fastest runner, he didn't make many highlight-film plays and he rarely drew attention to himself with silly touchdown dances. But he showed up every Sunday and performed at the highest level for a decade.

He cracked the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie with the Patriots, and he kept churning them out, all the way to 10 in a row. The only other player to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 seasons is Barry Sanders, a Hall of Famer.

"He's one of the greatest players I have ever coached," Parcells said.

Martin's signature season came in 2004, when he claimed the league rushing title with a career-high 1,697 yards. He was 31, the oldest player to win a rushing crown, delivering his best at a time when most backs are either retired or barely hanging on.

"That meant a lot to me," said Martin, noting he had "heard a lot of talk about being washed up and old."