Kansas State head coach Frank Martin screams at his bench during the first half Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 at Bramlage Coliseum.

Kansas City, Mo. ? Frank Martin’s grandmother sat in a small room for 12 hours a day and sewed. His uncle worked the docks in the hot Miami sun. His grandfather died of a heart attack while helping the family escape communist rule.

On Sunday, the son of impoverished Cuban immigrants fulfilled the American dream that had kept his family going through all the tough times, and he could hardly keep from weeping.

Struggling with his composure, Martin said Sunday he had agreed to a contract extension with Kansas State that will boost his annual salary to more than $1.5 million. On the same day, he was also picked as the Associated Press Big 12 coach of the year.

“I’m having a tough time finding words,” Martin said.

Seated alongside athletic director John Currie at a hastily called news conference, Martin had to pause several times as he recalled his humble beginnings.

“As I’ve been reflecting all day today — from selling newspaper ads and being the pool-hall change boy when I was 12 to now making the dollar figure that I’m getting ready to make,” he said in a quavering voice.

The first man to win 20-plus games in each of his first three seasons at Kansas State, Martin had been one of the lowest-paid coaches in the Big 12 around $750,000 annually.

Currie said Martin would make an average of $1.55 million for the 2010-11 season through 2014-15 and also receive a signing bonus of $462,800, along with a “nationally competitive” incentives program that could add up to 32 percent of his base salary.