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Miami University head men's basketball coach Charlie Coles redefines daily what it means to have heart. Despite some of his ailments with the body's most-vital organ, no one can deny the spirit, passion and fire that are the core of his character. It is the true heart of this champion that has placed Coles' name among the all-time winningest coaches in Miami and Mid-American Conference history and helped the Red and White to six postseason appearances during his tenure. Beyond the numbers, it is his spirit for the game of basketball and life that truly make him one of a kind.
AGAINST ALL ODDS
With a coaching style that is truly his own, you would be hard pressed to find anybody who embodies the spirit of the sport more than Coles. The 14th-year RedHawk mentor has a unique flare for combining his fiercely competitive nature with father-figure attributes and his always-effervescent personality, which makes him one of the most popular sideline generals around the Mid-American Conference.
Never without a fitting anecdote, neatly interweaving an explanation to a situation or answer to a question with an entertaining tale, Coles' zest for life and for basketball has kept him in the game despite the odds.
Coles, who turns 68-years old in February 2010, has a burning passion and love for the game, which centers around helping and developing young men, both on and off the basketball court. Following the near loss of his life in March 1998 to a cardiac arrest, physicians told Coles he was physically prepared to handle the rigors of college coaching, and there was no doubt in his mind he would be back on the sidelines.
Fortunately for Coles and Miami, he came back to guide the RedHawks through a magical season (1998-99), which culminated with an NCAA Sweet 16 berth. One year after his near-death experience, Miami won two NCAA Tournament games for the first time in school history and reached the third round before falling to defending national champion Kentucky.
Knowing something was not right on March 1, 2008, Coles took himself to the hospital and left the game-day preparations in the hands of his capable assistants to tend to his health. After several days of testing it was determined that he would need surgery. Coles, who also had bypass surgery in 1986, underwent bypass surgery on March 11. In addition to the bypass surgery, the surgeons also replaced his defibrillator and reshaped his heart, which Coles has been told will likely give him the quality of life he had seven or eight years ago.
Coles returned to the sidelines for the 2008-09 campaign, as Miami boasted the 2009 MAC Player of the Year in Michael Bramos and nearly captured the program's 22nd regular-season MAC title. Following the season, Coles signed a three-year contract extension.
"We are very excited to have Charlie continue to lead our program," said Miami Director of Athletics Brad Bates. "His experience, intellect, passion, wit, pedagogy and charm inspire those of us fortunate to interact with him regularly. With two championships in the past five seasons, Charlie is clearly fulfilling our mission as he develops champions with love and honor as his students-athletes leave Miami University with prestigious degrees and championship jewelry."
"I just love coaching basketball. It's been my whole life," remarked Coles. "I thought I could walk away after this year, but I found out that I just couldn't. I love doing what I'm doing, so to be able to continue coaching is a dream come true."
MIAMI MAN
Coles, who was a star guard at Miami from 1963-65, returned to his alma mater in 1994 as an assistant under Herb Sendek. When Sendek was named head coach at North Carolina State following the 1995-96 season, Miami turned to one of its own and tabbed Coles as the school's 22nd head coach.
During Coles' head coaching tenure, the RedHawks have made six postseason appearances--NCAA 1997, 1999, 2007; NIT 2005, 2006; CBI 2008-- and Coles has mentored 18 players who have garnered 27 All-MAC awards, including nine first-team honorees. Over the past six seasons, Miami has had six players--Juby Johnson, Chet Mason, Danny Horace, William Hatcher, Tim Pollitz and Michael Bramos--capture a combined seven First-Team All-MAC accolades and is the only MAC men's basketball program to have at least one first-team honoree each of the last six years.
Additionally, Miami has had two MAC Players of the Year under Coles--Bramos in 2009 and a unanimous selection in Wally Szczerbiak in 1999--while Devin Davis captured MAC Tournament MVP honors in 1997 and Tim Pollitz was the 2007 MAC Tournament MVP.
Coles owns a 224-168 record over 13 years as the RedHawks' mentor and became Miami's all-time leader in coaching wins with a 67-60 triumph at Bowling Green on Jan. 20, 2009. During his Miami stint, Coles--who is noted for annually putting together one of the nation's top non-conference schedules--owns six of the program's 27 triumphs over ranked opponents, equaled only by long-time head coach Darrell Hedric. He also has won three MAC regular-season crowns (1997, 1999, 2005), while making appearances in the championship game of the MAC Tournament his first five years. The RedHawks won the league's tourney title in 1997 and 2007.
In 2009, Miami was in the regular-season conference title hunt until the very last game, coming up just short in an overtime loss at Buffalo on March 8. The RedHawks earned a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. With a berth in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational in 2008, Miami made its fourth consecutive postseason appearance.
Coles and the 2006-07 RedHawks provided Miami with a thrilling season, which was capped by a dramatic Mid-American Conference Tournament run. Off a last-second Doug Penno 3-pointer, the RedHawks seized the program's fourth MAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time. Pollitz was named MVP of the tournament, while Bramos earned all-tournament team accolades.
After guiding the RedHawks to the program's 21st Mid-American Conference championship and a program-record 13 home wins in 2004-05, Coles was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year--his second career MAC Coach of the Year Award--bringing the honor back to Miami for the first time since 1995.
Miami earned a berth in the 2005 Postseason National Invitation Tournament and earned a repeat bid in 2006. Coles and the RedHawks finished the 2005-06 MAC season with a 14-4 league mark--the best MAC record by a Miami team since 1998-99--which tied for the second-best record among all 12 league programs.
Coles directed his first Miami squad to a 21-9 record and the 1997 NCAA Tournament. He became just the second coach in Miami history to lead his team to the MAC title, 20 or more wins and the NCAA Tournament in his first season (Hedric is the other). The 21 victories were the most in school history by a first-year coach.
Two seasons later, Coles directed Miami through one of its most magical seasons, which culminated in an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. Along the way, Miami won its 20th Mid-American Conference regular-season championship en route to a school-record-tying 24 season victories (24-8). Miami also earned its highest national ranking in 20 years, finishing the season with the No. 20 spot in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll. The RedHawks' NCAA wins over Washington and Utah catapulted Miami onto sports pages and publications across the country, including the cover of Sports Illustrated.
MAC DADDY
Over 19 seasons as a head coach in the MAC--six at Central Michigan and 13 at Miami--Coles has amassed a 316-252 (.556) overall record and a 193-132 (.593) MAC mark. His 193 career MAC wins rank second in league history and just one away from tying former Toledo head coach Bob Nichols' league-record 194 conference wins. His 316 career wins rank third all-time among MAC coaching leaders.
Coles is in his second stint as a collegiate head coach, having served at Central Michigan from 1986-1991. He compiled a 92-84 mark in his six seasons with the Chippewas, including a 22-8 mark in the 1986-87 campaign. Coles was named MAC Coach of the Year that season after leading CMU to the MAC regular-season and tournament championships and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. That squad was led by Dan Majerle, a three-time all-MAC selection and three-time NBA All-Star. Coles led Central Michigan to a 19-13 record and a second-place MAC finish in the 1987-88 season.
Under Coles, Miami recorded a league-best five straight MAC Championship game appearances (1997-2001), despite respective No. 9 and No. 8 seedings in 2000 and 2001. Coles is the only coach in the history of the MAC Tournament to lead his school to the championship game five consecutive years. He also owns a 24-15 record in MAC Tournament play, posting three times as many wins as any active MAC coach. In 19 years as a head coach at a MAC school, Coles' squads have never missed a conference tournament and have at least advanced to the quarterfinals since the league expanded to the all-inclusive tournament format in 1999-00, earning first-round byes five of the last six seasons.
THE REST OF THE STORY
After his stint at Central Michigan, Coles spent one season as the general manager of the Saginaw, Mich., entry into the Global Basketball Association, then spent two years as head coach at Toledo Central Catholic High School, where he posted a 32-16 record. He returned to Miami when Sendek hired him as his top aide prior to the 1994-95 season.
In Coles' two years as an assistant prior to assuming the head coaching post, Miami posted a 44-15 record, won a MAC regular-season title (1995) and advanced to two postseason tournaments (NCAA in 1995, NIT in 1996). Coles was highly involved in Miami's successful recruiting efforts, playing a key role in the signing of former Indiana "Mr. Basketball" Damon Frierson.
"I first met Coach Coles through the recruiting process," says Frierson (`99). "He was an assistant at the time, but he was the main reason I came to Miami. I guess it's a little unusual to pick a school because of the assistant coach over the head coach, but that's what I did, and, luckily, Coach Coles became the head coach my sophomore season.
"There is a certain comfort level with him even if you've just met him ... like you've known him your whole life," continues Frierson. "I enjoyed playing for him and miss playing for him. He's a good coach, and he's been a player, so he understands from a different point of view what players are going through on and off court. You can always talk to him about anything. If I decide to coach, I would take a lot of his philosophy for the game. He's a great motivator and always gets you ready to play."
A native of Yellow Springs, Ohio, Coles was the leading high school scorer in the state as a senior at Bryan High School, averaging 42.1 points per game, which is thought to be the second-highest single-season average in Ohio boys' basketball history. He scored 40 points or more 15 times his senior year, including a school-record 55 points against Shawnee. His lowest output of the season was a 23-point performance. In fall 2000, Yellow Springs retired his jersey.
Coles went on to earn three letters at Miami under coach Dick Shrider from 1963-65. He earned Second-Team All-MAC honors as a junior and senior and was a member of Miami's MAC co-championship team in 1964-65. Coles averaged double figures in scoring all three seasons, including an 18.5 ppg average as a junior. He led Miami with a .503 field goal percentage that season (167-of-332).
Coles, who was inducted into Miami's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, ranks 29th on Miami's career scoring list with 1,096 points. In October 2008, he was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame.
He and his wife, Delores, have a son, Chris (wife Robin), who is an assistant men's basketball coach at Saginaw Valley State, and a daughter, Mary Bennett (husband Craig). They have four grandchildren, Tyson, Taya and C.J. Coles, and Jazz Bennett.
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