The athletic rivalry between the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University is referred to as "The Backyard Brawl," but it was much more personal for the Martha brothers in 1963 when the teams lined up in Morgantown, W.Va.

Paul was a star running back for the undefeated Pitt Panthers and his younger brother, Rich, was a defensive back for the underdog West Virginia Mountaineers.

"I remember our mother sat on one side [West Virginia] and dad sat on my side [Pitt]," Paul Martha said yesterday from his home in San Diego. "It was tough playing against your brother and it was a very competitive game. I know how much I wanted to win. I know how much he wanted to win."

It was Paul's 46-yard touchdown run in the final minutes that lifted Pitt to a 13-10 victory that still is considered one of the highlights of this long and glorious football series.

"The game was really never over," he said. "We always talked about it."

Richard J. Martha, who lived in Hampton, died Sunday from lung cancer. He was 64.

"We always competed in everything we did," his brother said. "We always had that competitive attitude. We both grew up in Wilkinsburg and went to St. James [elementary] School.

"Fisticuffs was a big deal at the school and there were guys I was afraid of. He would fight them and beat them up to prove he was tougher than I was. He proved it."

Rich Martha went on to become a key player on the Wilkinsburg High School football team that won the 1961 WPIAL championship. Paul attended Shady Side Academy.

"Rich was an enjoyable teammate, a great halfback, an excellent student and an all-around good person," said Ed Pastilong, the current athletic director at West Virginia University and a teammate of Mr. Martha on the WVU football team. "He was one of our finest alums."

Mr. Martha, who was a Marine Corps veteran and self-employed accountant, played briefly for the Miami Dolphins. He was involved with youth sports in Western Pennsylvania and was co-founder of the Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins, along with Joe Battista, who recently retired as the hockey coach at Penn State University. Mr. Martha's son, Geoff, played on teams from seventh through 10th grade.

"He wanted the kids around here to have an opportunity to step up a notch in hockey," said Geoff Martha, 38, who lives in Chicago. "He loved to come to all my games."

In addition to his son and brother, Mr. Martha is survived by his wife, Karen; daughter Susan Kempter of New Jersey; twins Bridget and Brian Martha of Hampton; another brother, David of Penn Hills: sister Lynda Burkel of Regent Square; and four grandchildren.

Friends will be received today from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home, 700 Linden Ave., East Pittsburgh. Mass will be celebrated at St. John Fisher Church in Churchill tomorrow at 10 a.m.

The family asks that donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 320 Bilmar Drive, Pittsburgh 15205.