I just wanted to personally invite you to come to Oxford on Saturday. Saturday is an oldfashioned MAC DH, Ohio women vs Miami at 1, followed by OU men vs Miami at 3:30. What makes this day even more special than the normal rivalry, is that at halftime of the men's game Charlie Cole's uniform will be retired and hung from the rafters along with Wayne Embry, Ron Harper, Wally , etc.
The reason Charlie' uniform is being retired against OU is because this rivalry, this game meant so much to him. For Charlie (and for me and many of you), this game has been as big as a North Carolina-Duke game ever was. Preparing for the OU game, Charlie would put in 18 hour days and watch more film than any coach I have ever seen. It was like the OSU-Michigan football game for him. I alway felt there was a lot of love/hate in this game, and for Charlie this was certainly the case.
Anyway, Miami support has faded away with the declining performance (women and men have combined for only 11 wins this year) over recent years, but it would be nice to fill Millett one time this year to honor Charlie and for the sake of the rivalry. So if possible, make a day of it Saturday, hit one of the sports bars uptown and catch the DH and honor Charlie Coles memory.
when it comes to the OU/MU rivalry there certainly is a lot of love/hate but when it comes to OU/Charlie Coles its all love/love. It was obvious he enjoyed coming to Athens and hopefully it was obvious to him that Bobcat fans loved having him in the Convo too. Valentines Day plans might derail a few would-be travelers but regardless I think you'll see lot of folks wearing green and white in Oxford on Saturday. If I wasn't +1000K miles away I'd be there in person but I will be tuned in to the broadcast. Thanks for the invite.
(This post was last modified: 02-08-2015 07:39 PM by perimeterpost.)
One would be hard pressed to find a better figure in college basketball than Charlie Coles! He truly loved the game, the players and the fans. I have thought that it would be awesome, and quite welcomed, if the visitors bench in the Convo be named in his honor!
I think all Ohio fans loved and respected Coles. He was a great coach and had great teams. Any time Ohio beat Miami it was a big win because for many years Miami was at the top and that was the barometer of how our teams were. If we could be Miami it signaled we were playing at a level of play that made us a championship contender.
This tribute to Charlie on this true double-header day is awesome! Miami's administration couldn't have picked a better day to do this. I, too, hope Millett is packed and the atmosphere is worthy of an OU-Miami game like when Charlie roamed the sidelines. it's too bad the O-Zone can't be there. I know how much he loved them and how much they loved him!
that being said, GO OHIO! MUCK FIAMI! Sweep the 'Hawks! (PS-Charlie would have appreciate these comments, I'm sure!)
(02-08-2015 07:37 PM)perimeterpost Wrote: when it comes to the OU/MU rivalry there certainly is a lot of love/hate but when it comes to OU/Charlie Coles its all love/love. It was obvious he enjoyed coming to Athens and hopefully it was obvious to him that Bobcat fans loved having him in the Convo too. Valentines Day plans might derail a few would-be travelers but regardless I think you'll see lot of folks wearing green and white in Oxford on Saturday. If I wasn't +1000K miles away I'd be there in person but I will be tuned in to the broadcast. Thanks for the invite.
(02-08-2015 07:37 PM)perimeterpost Wrote: when it comes to the OU/MU rivalry there certainly is a lot of love/hate but when it comes to OU/Charlie Coles its all love/love. It was obvious he enjoyed coming to Athens and hopefully it was obvious to him that Bobcat fans loved having him in the Convo too. Valentines Day plans might derail a few would-be travelers but regardless I think you'll see lot of folks wearing green and white in Oxford on Saturday. If I wasn't +1000K miles away I'd be there in person but I will be tuned in to the broadcast. Thanks for the invite.
That is an awesome video.
yeah it is. I'm sure some OU fan on here knows who exactly put it together in the OU sports media department. they showed it at, I believe, last year's OU-Miami game (or was it the year before?). anyway, it was definitely a crowd favorite as was Charlie!
As a member of the OZone during the last few years of Charlie Cole's tenure, I can attest to the fact that we always had a lot of respect for the guy. He was always very energetic on the sideline and clearly had a lot of passion for the game.
Looking forward as always to play Miami on Saturday. I'll probably be wearing green and white, but it would be nice to see Coach Phillips continue the tradition Jim Christian started by sporting a red turtleneck on Saturday.
(02-10-2015 03:38 PM)BobcatEngineer Wrote: As a member of the OZone during the last few years of Charlie Cole's tenure, I can attest to the fact that we always had a lot of respect for the guy. He was always very energetic on the sideline and clearly had a lot of passion for the game.
Looking forward as always to play Miami on Saturday. I'll probably be wearing green and white, but it would be nice to see Coach Phillips continue the tradition Jim Christian started by sporting a red turtleneck on Saturday.
(02-10-2015 03:38 PM)BobcatEngineer Wrote: As a member of the OZone during the last few years of Charlie Cole's tenure, I can attest to the fact that we always had a lot of respect for the guy. He was always very energetic on the sideline and clearly had a lot of passion for the game.
Looking forward as always to play Miami on Saturday. I'll probably be wearing green and white, but it would be nice to see Coach Phillips continue the tradition Jim Christian started by sporting a red turtleneck on Saturday.
+1 to this entire thread. Ohio vs Miami has a specialness few rivalries in this world have. I miss Charlie. I really do. I had the pleasure of speaking to him a few times and just his presence on the sidelines and in the press room made my life just a little bit better.
I hope there's a good turnout and I wish I could make it. Charlie knew how to mix his passion for winning with a lot of fun and human decency. I miss him every time we play Miami.
I was a manager for the men's basketball team while I was a student at WMU. As managers, in carrying out our duties (before, during, and after games), we basically had no interaction with opposing coaches. Charlie Coles was one of only a couple of opposing coaches who went out of his way to say hello during my time as a manager. I remember being really impressed by that, and I still am to this day.
I remember returning to Kalamazoo a few years after I graduated with my dad to watch the Broncos play Miami. I can't remember who won, but I do remember my dad being fascinated watching Charlie Coles interact with Bronco fans behind the Miami bench throughout the game, as the game was happening. This was a few years after Charlie Coles nearly died on the court in Kalamazoo - his survival and recovery only deepened the bond between him and Bronco fans.
It speaks volumes about Charlie Coles that he is beloved by many fans of not just one, but TWO fan bases of bitter archrivals. His accomplishments at Miami and at CMU speak for themselves. The fact that he is so warmly regarded by many Ohio and WMU fans says even more.
(02-11-2015 04:46 PM)The Colonel Wrote: I was a manager for the men's basketball team while I was a student at WMU. As managers, in carrying out our duties (before, during, and after games), we basically had no interaction with opposing coaches. Charlie Coles was one of only a couple of opposing coaches who went out of his way to say hello during my time as a manager. I remember being really impressed by that, and I still am to this day.
I remember returning to Kalamazoo a few years after I graduated with my dad to watch the Broncos play Miami. I can't remember who won, but I do remember my dad being fascinated watching Charlie Coles interact with Bronco fans behind the Miami bench throughout the game, as the game was happening. This was a few years after Charlie Coles nearly died on the court in Kalamazoo - his survival and recovery only deepened the bond between him and Bronco fans.
It speaks volumes about Charlie Coles that he is beloved by many fans of not just one, but TWO fan bases of bitter archrivals. His accomplishments at Miami and at CMU speak for themselves. The fact that he is so warmly regarded by many Ohio and WMU fans says even more.
Great story! We Kent fans had the same type interaction with Charlie when Miami played in Kent. It was amazing how he could focus on the game and us at the same
time. He was special and a class act all the way!
Miami wins in honor of Charlie, 77-66. Was a very well played game from us after being down double digits early in the first half, though I was very nervous the whole way after how last year's match in Oxford ended. Yeah I know that winning at OSU or against Dayton earlier this season would've been a 'better' win, but this is one game that I wanted to win more than any other for the sake of CC.
Charlie Coles was a great human being as well as a great coach. He would interact with the opposing fans at road games, and seemed not to take himself too serious. I know that Marshall fans really enjoyed playing Miami when he was the coach.
I still think the tape of the post game press conference with UK is priceless. He took sport writer's stupid question and turned it into a very funny answer. One should notice that he answered the question at the end of his statement. He teased the writer, but at the end gave the writer his answer. He was classy! The world needs more individuals like Mr. Coles.
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