OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Mike Fox was part of almost every major milestone North Carolina has achieved in baseball, either as a player or coach. A national championship was all that eluded him.
He retired six years ago as the program's all-time wins leader, but his attachment to the Tar Heels remains strong as ever.
Fox, 70, watched from the Carolina fan section at Charles Schwab Field as the Tar Heels swept through three games at the College World Series
to reach the championship round for the first time since he led them to their first two finals in 2006-07.
As he enjoyed some down time at the team hotel Thursday, his emotions began running high as he thought out loud about how he would react if Carolina beat Oklahoma in the best-of-three finals starting Saturday.
“Somebody’s probably going to have to grab me to keep me from jumping on the dogpile,” he said, laughing.
Fox is a Tar Heel through and through. The Asheville native was Carolina's second baseman 50 years ago and made the All-CWS team in 1978. That year he led the Tar Heels to their first-ever CWS win, homering on the second pitch of the game and going 3 for 5 with three RBIs in a 9-5 victory over Michigan.
After coaching 15 years at Division III North Carolina Wesleyan, Fox returned to the Tar Heels in 1999 and won 948 games, had five 50-win seasons and took seven teams to the CWS. His No. 30 jersey was retired in 2022.
Fox's influence is still felt. Coach Scott Forbes, his handpicked successor, played for him in the 1990s at North Carolina Wesleyan and was his assistant at Carolina from 2006-20. Assistants Bryant Gaines, Jesse Wierzbicki and Scott Jackson played for or coached with Fox, as did staffer Jason Howell and undergraduate assistants Kyle Datres and Brandon Martorano.
“They are my boys,” Fox said. “I knew them when, as kids. Now I see them walking through the lobby pushing strollers with 3- and 4-year-olds on their shoulders. That'll make you cry, if nothing else.”
Fox has attended most, if not all, home games since he retired, but intentionally kept some distance his first two or three years of retirement because he wanted to give the coaching staff space. Now he attends some practices and has worked as third-base umpire during intrasquad scrimmages and will throw batting practice if he's asked.
“I never want to be a burden to them or get in the way of certainly what they’re trying to do,” he said, “so I’m very thankful I can just get in my truck and drive to the stadium and hang out for a couple hours and go home.”
Fox retired just before the start of college athlete compensation and the liberalization of transfer rules. Forbes' pitching staff is mostly homegrown, but six players in the everyday lineup did not start their careers at Carolina. Fox said Forbes and his staff have adjusted to the new era magnificently, as evidenced by the Tar Heels having made super regionals three straight years and four of the last six.
“The trick now is when you bring in all these kids from the portal, they all come from different places and you still need to be a team, and he's been able to master that at the highest level,” Fox said. “We’ve been probably the best program consistency-wise since '22. And that’s extremely hard to do in this day and age when there’s so many good programs.”
North Carolina has won a total of 52 NCAA championships across eight sports, and the baseball team will try to make it 53 across nine sports by Sunday or Monday.
“This is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time, certainly since I became the coach there,” Fox said.
What would make it especially meaningful to Fox is that he would be able to celebrate it with so many people he knows and loves.
“Raising a trophy over your head would be incredible. It's the ultimate,” he said. "But, boy, those relationships and memories, all coaches are going to find that out. The day after you retire, it hits you like a ton of bricks. The wins and losses are gone — poof.
“Those relationships and memories are what you're really doing this for and it's hard to see that when you're in the middle of it. I'm so thankful I have relationships with those coaches and they've allowed me to still be a small part of this program because it's a big part of my heart.”
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