Michael Coker, a pioneering force in HBCU baseball and contributor to Black College Nines, passed away on Tuesday, April 22, after a lengthy battle with pancreatic and prostate cancer, according to the website.
He was 65.
Coker’s legacy is woven deeply into the fabric of HBCU baseball. As executive director of Black College Championships LLC and the architect behind the Black College World Series, Coker spent more than two decades championing the visibility and advancement of HBCU student-athletes and programs nationwide.
A native of Evanston, Illinois, Coker’s baseball career began as a first baseman at Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida, where he played under coach Jeffrey Lee Jr.
His passion for the sport and for HBCU athletics led him to conceive the Black College Baseball World Series in 2011, providing a national stage for teams from NCAA Division II and NAIA institutions.
The inaugural event took place a decade later at Riverwalk Park in Montgomery, Alabama, and has since crowned champions, including Bluefield State, Edward Waters, and Florida Memorial University.
Coker’s influence extended well beyond the diamond. He was a lead reporter for Black College Nines, a member of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) board, and an advocate for diversity and equality in collegiate sports. He assisted in national Top 25 voting for both the NCBWA and Black College Nines’ HBCU polls, and played a key role in the Black College Legends and Pioneers Committee for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
His impact was also felt in the administrative and advisory realms, where he frequently consulted with athletic departments on coaching hires and helped schedule intersectional games for HBCU schools. Coker’s legal expertise—earned with a law degree from the University of Miami and further graduate work at Thomas Jefferson School of Law—complemented his advocacy for student-athletes and institutions alike.
The Black College Baseball Board of Directors and tournament committee released a statement mourning his loss:
“Michael Coker was a tireless believer and advocate for HBCUs and all college baseball. We are deeply saddened by his passing, but we want to salute him for his great efforts to publicize and bring out the best points in college baseball as well as founding the Black College Baseball World Series, which has given so many youngsters a chance to extend their careers and to extol the benefits of this great sport. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and many friends after his passing.”
Coker resided in Pompano Beach, Florida, where he was active in community service and church activities. Prior to his passing, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the HBCU baseball community, stating his work with Black College Nines and its founder, Jay Sokol, was a privilege and a highlight of his career.
Services are pending. Coker is remembered as a visionary whose commitment and passion transformed the landscape of HBCU baseball, leaving a legacy that will endure for generations.