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Clark: Sunday's win, celebration was a fitting finale for a legend

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There was zero chance Mike Martin was going to take his victory lap on Sunday afternoon -- and since the Seminoles won, it was indeed a victory lap -- without his wife, Carol, by his side.

She has been there for all of it. They were already husband and wife when they moved to Tallahassee 50-plus years ago so Martin could try out for the Florida State baseball team. She cheered him on as a player, as an assistant coach and then for the last 40 years as the head coach.

On Sunday, Mother's Day, after the Seminoles beat Richmond 7-2 in a rain-shortened game, she was there on the field, hand-in-hand with her husband, waving to the FSU fans who hung around Dick Howser Stadium after the game was called.

It was the perfect ending for Mike and Carol Martin on Mike Martin Field. And it was punctuated by a wonderful video tribute -- from her to him -- that was shown on the scoreboard beyond the left-field fence.

The first time Mike Martin saw the video was on Saturday night at the celebratory roast in his honor at the Civic Center. He was speechless as he watched it, no doubt remembering every step he and Carol have taken over these last 54 years.

"One of the most emotional moments I've had, in happy tone, in my life," Martin said. "Because she touched on things that were so important to me.

"She just was always there. Thank God. Always there."

Until this weekend, the Martins' son had no idea about the video either. Like his dad, he saw it for the first time on Saturday night.

"They said (it was coming), and I turned to my sister and she said, 'You haven't seen this?'" assistant coach Mike Martin Jr., said. "And I said, 'No.' And she goes, 'Uh oh.' And I said, 'Thanks for the heads up, guys.' That was a tearjerker.

"I had to turn away and say, 'dead cat,' over and over and over when I kept thinking about it. Because that is the epitome of a love affair -- between them and the university and the city. Those are hard to find, those types of relationships."

Martin Jr., like his dad, isn't an overly emotional person.

But watching that video, thinking about his parents, their journey, his journey, and everything Florida State baseball has meant to the Martin Family, well, it wasn't any easier watching it on Sunday afternoon.

Even though he was more prepared this time.

"It got me," Martin Jr., said. "And (Drew) Parrish was standing next to me and he says something to the effect of, 'Man, I'm not good at this stuff. I thought I was, but I'm not.' And I said, 'I know.' But that's the way you draw up a relationship."

The reality is this will almost certainly never happen again. A family like this. A coach like this. A career like this.

It's just impossible, in this day and age, to expect any person to lead a program for four decades. Heck, it's impossible in virtually any era, but especially now.

What Sunday really drove home for me is something that is going to occur to all of us in the next couple of weeks: Mike Martin isn't coming back.

My whole life, since I've been able to talk and walk, he's been coaching at Florida State University. As long as I've been a cognizant sports fan, he's been the head coach. This is all I know. This is all most any of us know.

As we head into the great unknown of the future and the next chapter of Florida State Baseball -- I personally think Martin Jr., could and should be his dad's replacement, but athletic director David Coburn hasn't asked for my input -- it's really hard to not get sentimental about the final few pages of this current one.

When Martin came out with Carol and did his victory lap Sunday, when he did the N-O-L-E-S cheer with the "Animals of Section B," when he doffed his cap to the fans in attendance, it was hard not to get caught up in the moment.

It was hard not to think about the incomprehensible amount of time he's spent on the field, trying to put out a product that all Florida State fans could be happy with.

It doesn't really matter what you think of him as a baseball coach -- though, keep in mind, he's won more games than anyone in college athletics has won anything -- you have to know that nobody loves this university more than Mike Martin.

And nobody loves Mike Martin like Carol. So Sunday, Mother's Day, was about her legacy as well.

"Mee-maw has always had a say in my career," Martin said.

For the record, he said he used to call Carol "honey," then it transitioned to "darling," then to "Mama" and now "Mee-maw."

"She always knew what I wanted," Martin said. "Carol made me what I turned out to be. She knew I wanted to play baseball for Florida State. … She supported me and what I wanted to do. I came down here to try and make the Florida State team. I was not highly recruited ... I just wanted a chance to play."

That was 1965.

Some 54 years later, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, he wore his Florida State uniform for the final time inside Dick Howser Stadium. And, it should be noted, he wore it as a winner yet again.

With his wife was right by his side. The way it's always been.

Contact senior writer Corey Clark at corey@warchant.com and follow @Corey_Clark on Twitter.


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