On This Date in Sports July 22, 2007: Tragedy In the Coach's Box
The baseball world suffers a tragedy when Mike Coolbaugh, first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers, is fatally struck in the head by a line drive. The Drillers were a AA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the Texas League. They were trailing the Arkansas Travelers 7-3 in the ninth inning when Tino Sanchez fouled a ball down the first baseline hitting the 35-year-old coach in the head. The game would be suspended and later called as efforts to save Mike Coolbaugh were unsuccessful.
Mike Coolbaugh was a baseball lifer, drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 16th round of the 1990 draft. He spent 11 years in the minors before making his Major League debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001. Coolbaugh was born in Binghamton, New York, and raised in San Antonio from a baseball family. His brother Scott played parts of four seasons in the majors with the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals in the early 90’s before finishing his career in Japan. Returning to the States, Scott Coolbaugh became a coach in the minors. Like his brother, Mike Coolbaugh was ready to embark on coaching when his career ended. After his final appearance in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002, Mike Coolbaugh spent three more years in the minors before a wrist injury in Spring Training with the Kansas City Royals forced him to retire in 2006.
Mike Coolbaugh was survived by his wife Amanda, who was pregnant with the couple’s third child. He previously had two sons, five-year-old Joseph, and three-year-old Jacob. The news of Coolbaugh’s death shook the Colorado Rockies Organization. When the team made a surprise run to the World Series three months later, players voted for his family a total share of $233,505. His sons even threw out the first pitch before the first-ever World Series game at Coors Field. During that Fall General Manager Meetings in November, a new rule was added to all levels of professional baseball requiring first and third base coaches to wear batting helmets. The Texas League would establish the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Coach of the Year Award for the outstanding hitting or pitching coach. His brother Scott Coolbaugh would be the first recipient.
Mike Coolbaugh’s sons have followed in his footsteps and are active in baseball. Jacob played in the Little League World Series in 2016 and played High School baseball in San Antonio. Joseph plays in Division ll at Texas A&M International. Their mother, Amanda, has become an advocate for sports safety. Three months after her husband’s death, she had a baby girl named Anne Michael Coolbaugh.