Mike Martin was the longtime coach of the Florida State Seminoles baseball team and the winningest coach in NCAA history, racking up over 2,000 victories during his career.
- Died: February 1, 2024 (Who else died on February 1?)
- Details of death: Died in Tallahassee, Florida, of Lewy body dementia at the age of 79.
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Mike Martin’s legacy
Martin was a center fielder at Florida State until his graduation in 1966, and he competed in the 1965 College World Series. He also had a brief career in the minor leagues as part of the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers organizations. He began coaching basketball in 1969 at the junior high level with a brief stint at Tallahassee Community College before returning to Florida State in 1975 to work under baseball coaches Woody Woodward and Dick Howser. In 1980, he finally stepped into the head coach position.
Martin proved to be a winner right away. He took the Seminoles to the postseason – 41 times in a row. Under his leadership, the team won eight Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championships. Although they were never able to win the big title, the team competed in 17 College World Series. During that time, he was a seven-time ACC Coach of the Year winner.
Martin became the winningest coach in college baseball history in 2018 when he passed Augie Garrido’s record of 1,976, and in 2019 became the first to pass 2,000 wins. All told, he had 2,029 wins in his career to 736 losses. He was a National College Baseball Hall of Fame member and two-time Baseball America Coach of the Year winner. He led his team to 11 Metro Tournament championship victories, and he coached more than 70 All-American players. Alumni under his tutelage include Deion Sanders, J. D. Drew, and Buster Posey.
Tributes to Mike Martin
Full obituary: NCAA.com
