Robert Gartman was a graduate of McIntosh Academy and the University of Alabama. He played football for Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1974-1977. After graduating, the Mobile native began his coaching career as an assistant at Jackson Academy in Jackson, Alabama.

In 1983, he was named the head football coach at Pickens Academy in Carrollton. In two seasons he led the team to a record of 12-11 before moving over to Morgan Academy in the fall of 1985.

As the Head Coach of the Morgan Academy Senators, Gartman found tremendous success on the football field. In eight years his teams won four AISA State Championships and had three teams that finished the season 13-0.

His record at Morgan from 1985-1992 was 101-10. His playoff record was 17-4 as his team made the post season every year.

In 1993 he took over the coaching duties at Jackson Academy for three seasons with a record of 17-5-1 and a couple of playoff appearances.

Coach Gartman was off to Wilcox Academy for the 1996 season where he remained for five successful seasons and another AISA state title in 1996. Each of these teams also qualified for the playoffs and his record with the Wildcats was 47-15.

He returned to Morgan Academy in 2001 and led the Senators to the 2003 and 2005 AISA State Championships in Troy. He stayed at Morgan for seven seasons.

The 2010 season opened with Gartman at a different school as he had taken over at Sumter Academy in the fall of that year. Over the next twoyears his teams made two more playoff appearances with a record of 19-7.

Coach Gartman retired from his head coaching duties in the AISA following the 2011 season with a record of 241-92-1. His playoff record was 36-17 in 24 appearances.

His teams won a total of seven AISA State Championships during his coaching tenure. Only four of his 28 teams failed to make the playoffs.

He also coached track teams to six state titles (five boys, one girls), and made four playoff appearances as a basketball coach. Coach Gartman was inducted into the 2005 Alabama Independent Schools Association Hall of Fame.