Michael David Martin Sr.
(born February 12, 1944) is the former head baseball coach of the
Florida State Seminoles baseball
The Florida State Seminoles baseball team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the sport of college baseball. Florida State competes in NCAA Division I, and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conferenc ...
team. Martin is the all-time winningest
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
in
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
. Upon the completion of his career, Martin had compiled a record of 2,029 wins, 736 losses and four ties over 40 seasons of collegiate coaching. On May 5, 2018, Martin reached 1,976 career wins, surpassing legendary coach
Augie Garrido
August Edmun "Augie" Garrido Jr. (February 6, 1939 – March 15, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and coach in NCAA Division I college baseball, best known for his stints with the Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball, Cal State ...
.
Martin, a native of
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
,
began his collegiate playing career at
Wingate Junior College where he was a Junior College All-American. He then transferred to Florida State, where he played from 1965 to 1966 and graduated in 1966. During his years as the center fielder at Florida State, Martin hit .354, and earned all-District honors in his senior season and played in the 1965
College World Series
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
. After his college career was over, Martin played professional baseball in the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
and
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
minor league organizations for three seasons before beginning his career in coaching.
Martin began his career in coaching at the junior high school level. His first stint as a college coach, surprisingly, came in a different sport, basketball, when Martin became the head basketball coach at
Tallahassee Community College
Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tallahassee, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 24,639 stu ...
during the 1970–1971 season.
It was in 1975, when
Woody Woodward
William Frederick "Woody" Woodward (born September 23, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player, college baseball coach, and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball, primarily as a shortstop from 1963 to 1971 for the ...
took over the head coaching job at Florida State, that Martin would be reunited with his
alma mater. Martin served as an assistant coach under Woodward for four seasons, and then for another season under
Dick Howser
Richard Dalton Howser (May 14, 1936 – June 17, 1987) was an American Major League Baseball shortstop, coach, and manager who was best known as the manager of the Kansas City Royals during the 1980s and for guiding them to the franchise's first W ...
. Howser would get his chance to manage the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
and Martin stepped into the head coaching role at Florida State in 1980.
Though Martin's teams did not win a national title, his tenure at Florida State was marked with many honors and feats. Florida State, as of the 2019 season, has made 43 straight postseason appearances (41 under Martin), the longest active streak in the country. Martin's Seminoles won eight
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
tournament championships and appeared in 17 College World Series.
Martin's players, which include many college and professional standouts such as
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (born August 9, 1967) is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder. Nicknamed "Prime Time", he played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons ...
,
J. D. Drew
David Jonathan "J. D." Drew (born November 20, 1975) is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder. He began his major league career in with the St. Louis Cardinals, and also played for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Bo ...
,
Doug Mientkiewicz
Douglas Andrew Mientkiewicz ( ; born June 19, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1998 to 2009, most prominently as a member of the Minnesota Twins wher ...
,
Stephen Drew
Stephen Oris Drew (born March 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Washington Na ...
,
Paul Wilson,
Lincoln R. "Link" Jarrett, and
Buster Posey
Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Posey spent his entire twelve-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the San Francisco Giants, from 2009 until his retirement at ...
, have excelled as well. More than 70 of Martin's players have been named All-Americans, five have been named national player of the year, four have won the
Golden Spikes Award
The Golden Spikes Award is bestowed annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. The award, created by USA Baseball and sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association, was first presented in 1978. It is given to ...
, considered to be the most prestigious individual award in amateur baseball, and two - J.D. Drew and Posey - have won the
Dick Howser Trophy
The Dick Howser Trophy is bestowed annually to the national college baseball player of the year. The award is named after former collegiate and Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager Dick Howser, who died of brain cancer in 1987 at the age ...
, considered to be the equivalent of the
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
for baseball. Martin has won the ACC Coach of the Year award seven times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2012).
On June 18, 2018, it was announced that Martin would retire following the 2019 season.
Florida State's baseball team plays on
Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium
Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium is a baseball venue located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, located adjacent to Doak Campbell Stadium on the campus of Florida State University. It is the home field of the Florida State Semino ...
, dedicated in 2005.
On March 9, 2019, Martin became the first coach to achieve 2,000 career wins with a 5–2 victory over
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
in the second game of a
doubleheader. In 2019, Martin was inducted into the
National College Baseball Hall of Fame
The National College Baseball Hall of Fame is an institution operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States. In partnership with the Southwest Collect ...
.
Head coaching record
See also
*
List of college baseball coaches with 1,100 wins
This is a list of NCAA baseball coaches with 1,100 career wins through the completion of the 2021 season.
Key
Coaches with 1,100 career wins
References
{{College athletic coaching wins leaders in the United States
*
Baseball
Ba ...
References
External links
Florida State profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Mike
1944 births
Living people
Florida State Seminoles baseball coaches
Florida State Seminoles baseball players
Greenville Mets players
Winter Haven Mets players
Wingate Bulldogs baseball players
Mankato Mets players
Rocky Mount Leafs players
People from Gastonia, North Carolina
Baseball coaches from North Carolina
Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States
National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees