- Coach Mike Martin left a mark on multiple generations of FSU fans, but perhaps none more than the fans who call themselves animals.
- FSU baseball will have a memorial service for 11 during its yearly Fan Day at Dick Howser Stadium on Feb. 10.
- Watch the video to hear how fans are remembering his legacy with one photo.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Understanding 11's impact on the most loyal Seminole baseball fans.
I'm Alberto Camargo in the College Town neighborhood.
Coach Mike Martin left a mark on multiple generations of FSU fans, but perhaps none more than the fans who call themselves animals.
Animals of section B, that is.
I met with two animals Friday, whose memories of eleven are deeper than most.
"Everyone loved him, even if he just got done beating you."
I spoke with Ken Lanese, an animal who also spent years taking photos of FSU sports.
Out of all the great photos in his catalog he said.
"That's the last frame I had in my camera, and you can see the ball up there before the ball actually hit me."
Right in the middle of his wall is a moment someone else captured of him and 11 sharing a laugh.
"He has a way of making everybody feel special and when he did that to me, it made me feel special."
Even if you had never met Martin, Lanese said he would not forget you.
"He ends up having more of a conversation with my wife, about I don't know what. And yet when I saw him three months later, he was like "How is Betty?"
Shannon Davis is another member of the animals.
More accurately, the zookeeper.
"That just means I work with FSU to get our tickets and make sure we keep our block."
Davis said his connection to the Tallahassee community was unlike any other.
"He was just the sweetest, sweetest, kindest person and he does remember names. I've never met anyone where he wasn't like "Well, hey Suzie, hey Joe."
Lanese says that's the lasting memory of 11.
Not the wins.
Not the losses.
But the man.
"He was a better human being than he was a baseball coach. He has no errors about him. Being the winningest coach in college baseball history, you'd have every right to be. But yet, he's just like the guy next door."
FSU baseball will have a memorial service for 11 during its yearly Fan Day at Dick Howser Stadium on Feb. 10.
In College Town, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
