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

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach and the former men's basketball head coach at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 1 ...

and

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

. He was born Charles Leroy Coles in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northe ...

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

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

, 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 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twe ...

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 (part of the Saginaw City School District) is located in Saginaw, Michigan, USA. The student enrollment is 593 students. History The school was established in 1865 as East Side High School. Alice Freeman Palmer, who later ...

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County, Michigan, Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, Michi ...

. 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 Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Catholic univer ...

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 and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and accordin ...

, 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. of Slovak descent, grew up in Pittsburgh and attended ...

left Miami for

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universi ...

. 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. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...

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 Associ ...

, 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 land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state's ...

. 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 stan ...

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 is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subsequ ...

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, Christine, and Christos. 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), N ...

, 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 sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players 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