Mike Martin, Florida State baseball coach, NCAA’s all-time wins leader, dead at 79

Mike Martin, Florida State’s coach for 40 seasons and college baseball’s all-time winningest coach, died Thursday. He was 79.

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Martin died less than three years after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

The coach, simply known as “11″ for his uniform number, retired as the Seminoles coach in June 2019 after compiling a 2,029-736-4 record, according to the newspaper. He died 11 days before his 80th birthday.

Martin is not only the winningest coach in college baseball history, but also the winningest coach in NCAA history, ESPN reported.

In a statement, Martin’s family praised the former coach as “a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother,” according to the Democrat.

“Mike Martin passed away peacefully and is now coaching em up in heaven,” they wrote. “The wins and losses did not mean as much as much as making a positive difference in people’s lives,” the statement read. “He especially wanted Seminole fans to be proud of his ‘boys’ on and off the field. And he wanted everyone who came through the FSU baseball program to be prepared for life through Christ.”

Martin’s squads reached the NCAA tournament during every season of his tenure and qualified for the College World Series 17 times, ESPN reported. The only accolade that eluded him was a national title.

Martin won Coach of the Year honors twice and coached three Players of the Year, according to Baseball America. He also won eight Atlantic Coast Conference tournaments, the Democrat reported.

Martin’s wife, Carol Martin, revealed that the former coach had been initially diagnosed with Lewy body dementia during the summer of 2021, according to the Democrat.

“We laugh at some of the things that transpire – though it is a tragedy,” Carol Martin told th newspaper in an October 2023 interview with the newspaper. “You try to laugh to lift your spirits. In his mind at these times, he’s OK and still doing what he loves. We are hoping in his mind he’s happy and at peace.”

In a statement, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips called Martin “an incredible man” who had “a profound impact on countless individuals” during his time as coach.

“There is no way to ever replace the man simply known as ‘11′ -- the winningest coach in NCAA baseball history, a Hall of Famer and a giant within the ACC and college athletics,” Phillips said. “For as decorated as he was for his accomplishments as a coach, I will always remember Mike’s passion and devotion to his players, his faith, and most importantly, his treasured family.”

Current FSU baseball coach Link Jarrett said during a news conference on Friday that Martin was “just an impactful person in every phase of his life, every facet,” the Democrat reported.

“He would want 100% want us to practice,” Jarrett told reporters. “There was nobody better at turning up the heat and the intensity as it got closer. He would have wanted that to happen today.

“The balance of when to push us versus when to go to the other side and build confidence. The gamesmanship, the management of the program, how to treat people in the program, and surrounding the program. And then even the external groups that follow the program, touch the program. He was masterful at that, the best ever.”

A public memorial for Martin has been scheduled for noon EST on Feb. 10, WPTV reported. It will be held at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, the school announced.

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