Mike Fox (baseball)

Mike Fox is an American retired college baseball coach. Fox was the North Carolina head baseball coach for 22 seasons and is considered one of the school's most successful coaches, having led the Tar Heels to seven College World Series appearances, including four consecutive from 2006 to 2009. Over his 37-year head coaching career, he compiled a 1,487–547–5 record (.731 winning percentage).[1] Fox was named to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.[2]

Mike Fox
Biographical details
Bornc. 1956 (age 66–67)
Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
Playing career
1976–1978North Carolina
Position(s)Second base
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1979North Carolina (asst.)
1983–1998North Carolina Wesleyan
1999–2020North Carolina
Head coaching record
Overall1,487–547–5
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
NCAA Division III College World Series (1989)
Awards
ABCA Division III National Coach of the Year (1989)
Baseball America National Coach of the Year (2008)
ACC Coach of the Year (2018)

Playing career

Fox played second base for the Tar Heels from 1976–1978. As a senior, he hit .277, tied for the team lead with six home runs. He led the Tar Heels to the 1978 College World Series and was named a member of the CWS All-Tournament Team. Fox also played on the UNC Junior Varsity Basketball team under Eddie Fogler in the 1975 and '76 seasons.

Fox played independent professional baseball for a year after graduating from Carolina before returning to his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 1979.

Coaching career

North Carolina Wesleyan

Fox coached at North Carolina Wesleyan from 1983 until 1998. Fox led the Battling Bishops to eight trips to the Division III College World Series, and in 1989, his team won the NCAA Division III College World Series.

Fox's career record of 539-141-4 at N.C. Wesleyan ranked second in career winning percentage (.791) among all active Division III head coaches at the time of his return to Carolina. [1]

University of North Carolina

Mike Fox was hired as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels baseball team on May 7, 1998, becoming the 24th head baseball coach in the history of the school, and only its third coach since 1947. In 2006 and 2007, he led North Carolina to back-to-back 2nd-place finishes at the College World Series. Fox would lead Carolina to another five College World Series appearances in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2018. Fox's teams in 2007, 2013 and 2018 won ACC championships. In 2008, he was named the National Coach of the Year by Baseball America, [1] and in 2018, he was named ACC Coach of the Year.[3] On August 7, 2020, Mike Fox retired and Scott Forbes, an assistant on Fox's staff for 19 seasons was named his successor. After 22 seasons, Fox retired as the winningest coach in Carolina Baseball history, with a record of 948-406-1. [1]

Personal

Fox attended East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.[4] He currently lives in Chapel Hill with his wife Cheryl. Mike has a son, Matthew (36), daughter Morgan (32), son-in-law Tyler (33) and three grandchildren.

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
North Carolina Tar Heels (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1999–2020)
1999 North Carolina 41–1813–114thNCAA Regional
2000 North Carolina 46–1712–125thNCAA Regional
2001 North Carolina 31–269–15T–6th
2002 North Carolina 43–2117–73rdNCAA Regional
2003 North Carolina 42–2313–115thNCAA Super Regional
2004 North Carolina 43–2114–10T–4thNCAA Regional
2005 North Carolina 41–19–117–10–15thNCAA Regional
2006 North Carolina 54–1522–8T–1st (Coastal) College World Series Runner-up
2007 North Carolina 57–1621–91st (Coastal) College World Series Runner-up
2008 North Carolina 54–1422–72nd (Coastal) College World Series
2009 North Carolina 48–1819–101st (Coastal) College World Series
2010 North Carolina 38–2214–165th (Coastal) NCAA Regional
2011 North Carolina 51–1620–103rd (Coastal) College World Series
2012 North Carolina 46–1622–81st (Coastal) NCAA Regional
2013 North Carolina 59–1221–71st (Coastal) College World Series
2014 North Carolina 35–2715–154th (Coastal) NCAA Regional
2015 North Carolina 34–2413–16T-3rd (Coastal)
2016 North Carolina 34–2113–175th (Coastal)
2017 North Carolina 49–1423–71st (Coastal) NCAA Regional
2018 North Carolina 44–2022–81st (Coastal) College World Series
2019 North Carolina 46–1917–133rd (Coastal) NCAA Super Regional
2020 North Carolina 12–70–3(Coastal)Season canceled due to COVID-19
North Carolina: 948-406-1395–188-1
Total:1,487-547-5

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References
  1. "MIKE FOX RETIRES AFTER 22 SEASONS AS UNC'S HEAD BASEBALL COACH; SCOTT FORBES IS CAROLINA'S NEXT HEAD COACH". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  2. Pearson, Andrew. "Fox to join NC hall of fame". Citizen-Times. Citizen-Times. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  3. "Fox Named Coach of the Year, Four Tar Heels Named All-ACC".
  4. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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