Mike Martin, Legendary Florida State Coach, Dies At 79

Image credit: FSU coach Mike Martin (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Mike Martin, the winningest coach in college sports history, died Thursday after a battle with Lewy body dementia. He was 79.

Martin was the head coach of Florida State, his alma mater, for 40 years before retiring in 2019. In all 40 of those seasons, he led the Seminoles to at least 40 wins and the NCAA Tournament, an unmatched record of consistency. He went 2,209-736-4 as a head coach. He took 17 teams to the College World Series and finished as runner-up twice, though he never won a national championship.

Martin was twice named Baseball America Coach of the Year, an award that no man has won more than twice. He coached a record three College Players of the Year and a No. 1 pick in the MLB draft (J.D. Drew) and NFL draft (Jameis Winston). He coached fathers and sons and his own son, Mike Martin Jr.

Those records, accolades and accomplishments all tell a story of consistent success and place Martin as one of the greatest college baseball coaches of all time. And that’s who he was. Between his playing and coaching career, he was a part of the program for 47 years. The Seminoles now play on Mike Martin Field. His No. 11 is synonymous with his name in Tallahassee and beyond.

It can seem impossible to separate Martin from Florida State baseball (and, to a certain extent, vice versa). But he was not just about baseball. His wife of 59 years, Carol, was always by his side. Family meant a great deal to Martin. On the eve of his final game, a matchup against Texas Tech in the 2019 College World Series, Martin went out to a large, three-generational family meal in Omaha. He instructed his grandchildren about manners and chided his son, Mike Martin Jr., for ordering a large plate of calamari that cost $50 – only to eat about half the plate himself.

Martin didn’t want to just teach his players about baseball. Most coaches don’t, but Martin’s desire to shape young men beyond the diamond somehow felt like a bigger part of his mission than most.

Martin Jr., who coached under his father for 22 years, said the off-field successes of his players energized him as much as anything.

“The brightest that he lights up behind the scenes is alumni weekends,” Martin Jr. said. “The former players come back toting their kids—they have their families, they’ve got their degrees—that’s what really excites him. To see them happy and content and productive members of society, that’s what gets him going.”

More than a few of Martin’s former players have gone into coaching themselves. Martin Jr. succeeded him at Florida State, coaching for three seasons. Seminoles coach Link Jarrett, now getting ready for his second season at his alma mater, and Pittsburgh coach Mike Bell also played and coached under Martin. Colorado football coach (and NFL Hall of Famer) Deion Sanders also played for Martin.

Martin was an avid—and talented—golfer and a strong supporter of his alma mater.

But it all does come back to baseball. It was his life’s work, after all. After playing two seasons at Wingate (N.C.) JC, he transferred to Florida State. He played two seasons with the Seminoles, helping them reach the 1965 CWS, and then played three years in the minor leagues, his playing career ending in 1968.

Martin joined the coaching staff at Florida State in 1974, working under Woody Woodward. After four seasons, Woodward was hired away to join the Reds front office and Martin was passed over for the head coaching job, which went instead to Dick Howser, the best player in program history. Martin stayed on staff under Howser and when the Yankees hired Howser to become their manager the following year, Martin was promoted to head coach. He spent the next 40 years leading his alma mater.

Martin guided the Seminoles through many eras of college baseball. He was often ahead of his time and his influence could be found from pickoff plays to pregame routines that were copied by opponents. The Seminoles won 13 conference titles under his direction and twice finished as national runner-up—1986 and 1999.

Those title game losses were tough, and Martin would have loved to have won a national championship. He was a fierce competitor and until he retired was still chasing a national championship, not for validation, but for the love of the hunt.

“For me to say that winning a national championship is not important to me, that would be a huge lie,” Martin said in 2019. “I pray to win a national championship.”

National championship or not, Martin was one of the best college baseball coaches ever. His records of longevity and consistent success won’t be broken. He was a beloved figure around the game, one of the great lights of the profession.

“God made a different coach here,” Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. “He’s remarkable. He’s a model of what is great in college baseball.”