Charlie Coles (February 6, 1942 – June 7, 2013) was an American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

coach and the former men's basketball head coach at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

and

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

. He was born Charles Leroy Coles in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, about west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus and northeast of ...

, and later moved in with his grandparents in nearby Yellow Springs, where he attended Bryan High School. He led the state in scoring as a senior, averaging 42.1 points per game, including one game of 65 points, and graduated in 1959. His number 33 was retired by now

Yellow Springs High School Yellow Springs High School is a public high school in Yellow Springs, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Yellow Springs Exempted Village Schools district, teaching grades 9–12. Their mascot is a bulldog. The school is part of the Metro B ...

in a ceremony Coles attended in 2000. He then went to Miami University in

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion ...

, where he again excelled in basketball from 1962 to 1965. He earned second-team All-MAC

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

honors both his junior and senior seasons, averaging double figures in scoring all three seasons, including a career-high 18.5 points per game as a junior. He averaged 15.4 points per game in his Miami career, shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 80.2 percent from the free throw line. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in physical education. After graduating from Miami, he became a long-time successful high school basketball coach, beginning in Springfield and Yellow Springs before serving as head coach at

Saginaw High School Saginaw High School (formerly part of the Saginaw City School District) was a high school located in Saginaw, Michigan, USA. The student enrollment was 405 at time of closing. History The school was established in 1865 as East Side High Scho ...

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

. He coached the Trojans from 1972 to 1982, leading them to two state championship appearances. He then moved on to the college ranks, serving as an assistant coach at the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catho ...

from 1982 to 1985. Coles was the men's basketball head coach at

from 1986 to 1991. He compiled a 92–84 mark in his six seasons with the Chippewas, including 22–8 in 1986–87. Coles was named Mid-American Conference (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 team was led by future NBA All-Star

Dan Majerle Daniel Lewis Majerle (; born September 9, 1965), also known by the nickname "Thunder Dan", is an American former professional basketball player and former coach of the Grand Canyon Antelopes. He played 14 years in the National Basketball Associat ...

. From 1992 to 1994 he served as head coach at Central Catholic High School in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, with a record of 32–16 there. Coles returned to college coaching at Miami as an assistant coach from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, he was named Miami's head coach when

Herb Sendek Herbert Joseph Sendek Jr. (born February 22, 1963) is an American college basketball coach who is the current men's basketball head coach at Santa Clara. Early life Herbert Joseph Sendek Jr. grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Penn Hills High S ...

left Miami for

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

. Coles won three MAC regular-season crowns (1997, 1999 and 2005) while leading the RedHawks to appearances in the championship game of the MAC Tournament his first five years. The RedHawks won the MAC tournament title in 1997 and 2007. In 1999, Coles and the RedHawks, led by future

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

forward

Wally Szczerbiak Walter Robert Szczerbiak Jr. ( ; born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current color analyst for the New York Knicks on MSG Network. He played 10 seasons for four teams in the National Basketball Associati ...

, reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 before falling to the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

. Coles was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2005. On January 20, 2009, Coles recorded his 217th win at Miami, surpassing

Darrell Hedric Darrell Hedric (born June 9, 1933) is an American basketball head coach and scout, most noted as the coach of the Miami University (Ohio) basketball team from 1970 to 1984. Early history Hedric was born and raised in Franklin, Ohio. He was a sta ...

to become the school's winningest coach. Coles became the all-time MAC wins leader when he picked up his 195th conference victory by beating

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

79–67 on January 16, 2010. Coles finished his career with 219 MAC wins. While coaching at Miami, he also taught a class in basketball coaching theory. His contributions to Miami, including as player, coach, teacher and mentor, led to his induction into Miami's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990. At the conclusion of the 2011–12 season, Coles retired after 16 seasons at Miami. Coles died June 7, 2013, at the age of 71. The funeral service was held at Miami University's basketball arena,

Millett Hall Millett Hall () is a basketball arena in Oxford, Ohio. It is home to the Miami University men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams. It is also the home of the ROTC program and various university events. It is named after Miami U ...

. He was buried in Oxford Cemetery near the Miami campus. Coles was survived by his wife, Delores, son

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...

, daughter Mary Bennett, and four grandchildren.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Miami profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coles, Charlie 1942 births 2013 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Ohio Basketball players from Ohio Burials at Oxford Cemetery, Oxford, Ohio Central Michigan Chippewas men's basketball coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball coaches High school basketball coaches in Michigan High school basketball coaches in Ohio Miami RedHawks men's basketball coaches Miami RedHawks men's basketball players Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio