Florida State legend officially the winningest coach in NCAA baseball history
Florida State University baseball coach Mike Martin entered the record books Saturday, notching the 1,976th win of his career to become the NCAA’s all-time winningest men’s baseball coach.
The FSU coach surpassed Cal State Fullerton legend Augie Carrido, who died earlier this year.
It’s an amazing achievement, 39 years in the making for Martin. His record-setting win was a 3-2 victory over Clemson in 13 innings.
The moment history was made.
Congrats 11! pic.twitter.com/MTAnlszG2D
— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) May 6, 2018
Martin was hired in 1980 to replace Dick Howser as the Seminoles coach. Howser had coached at FSU, his alma mater, for one year, between stints with the New York Yankees.
“It was really just a night that I’ll always remember because of the way that our young men battled,” Martin told the Tallahassee Democrat after the game.
“The record means that for a while it’s going to have Florida State’s name [on it],” he added. “That’s what means so much to me because that’s the university that gave me a chance to coach. I’m very fortunate. I love my university.”
For nearly 40 years, one name has been synonymous with Florida State Baseball. He is a leader of men, a true ambassador to his beloved alma mater, and now the winningest coach in NCAA Baseball history.
Congratulations 11. pic.twitter.com/E3xYVO7EYi
— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) May 6, 2018
Martin was given the game ball, which made him recall his first win as head coach.
“This makes me think of the first [victory] because I was given a baseball by one of the players at the University of Miami,” Martin told the Democrat. “This one was given to me by one of the players.”
Under Martin, 74, FSU has had 24 50-plus win seasons, and he owns the highest winning percentage (.737) of any active NCAA men’s baseball coach. He broke Garrido’s record in 246 fewer games.
Congrats to @FSUBaseball’s Mike Martin, the winningest coach in college baseball history! pic.twitter.com/QTY4DZLanQ
— ACC Baseball (@ACCBaseball) May 6, 2018
FSU has made it to the College World Series 16 times and reached the finals twice under Martin, in 1986 and 1999, but lost both times.
Martin was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named Baseball America’s College Coach of the Year in 2012.
Martin has coached 91 All-Americans and several players who went on to success at the major league level, including Buster Posey and J.D. Drew.
He has showed no signs of slowing down. This season, the Seminoles are 32-15 and ranked 15th in the country, and it looks like they will return once again to the College World Series.
North Carolina baseball coach Mike Fox said Martin’s record will be a tough one to break.
“Coaches continue to get older and kids stay the same age. If you don’t change and you don’t adapt and you don’t, quote, get into their world, you are going to have a difficult time coaching them. I just don’t see coaches doing it at that level and as long as coach Martin has. I just don’t see it,” Fox told the Democrat.
“It’s quite amazing, really,” he said.
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