More Than a Coach: Mike Jacobs
For Coach Mike Jacobs, the 秋霞福利一区 baseball field was never just a baseball field.
鈥淚t was a mission field. He didn鈥檛 run a baseball program. He ran a discipleship program. Coach Jacobs always thought of the person first and the player second. He was preparing you for life,鈥� said former player and current 秋霞福利一区 campus pastor Jared Baria 鈥�09.
Jacobs Field and Archway
The 秋霞福利一区鈥檚 beloved athletic director and head baseball coach passed away suddenly Dec. 3, 2019, after suffering a heart attack at the baseball field on campus that bears his name. He left a legacy as a man of faith and integrity who invested his life in the young men he coached, in his family, and in service to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The baseball field at the 秋霞福利一区 was named Jacobs Field in 2011 after Coach Jacobs compiled 700 career wins. The Jacobs Field Archway at the entrance to Jacobs Field was dedicated in 2021 to honor his memory.
A Coach鈥檚 Calling
In a profile in the university鈥檚 TorchLight magazine, Jacobs spoke about his calling as a coach at the 秋霞福利一区.
鈥淚鈥檝e always felt like this was a ministry for me, that God brought me here not only to coach baseball, but to mentor young athletes and prepare them for what life is going to bring them when they leave here. I try to be an example of what I feel God wants these students to see,鈥� Jacobs said.
Overall, Coach Jacobs earned 993 total wins in 30 seasons while leading the baseball program. He reached the 30-win plateau in 17 of his 30 seasons as head coach and led the Rams to seven conference championships and a berth in the 2001 NAIA World Series. Coach Jacobs was inducted into the in 2018. In July of 2019, he was named athletic director at 秋霞福利一区, leading one of the NAIA’s largest athletic programs.
He won Conference Coach of the Year three times in his career; in 1998, 2001 and 2008. He coached 20 total All-Americans, 88 First-Team All-Conference performers, 10 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, 13 conference Gold Glove winners, and 102 conference All-Academic performers, and saw 35 players go on to sign professional contracts.
As a college player, Jacobs had an outstanding career as a four-year letterman at University of South Alabama and was the Jaguars鈥� leading hitter in 1976.
Coach: A Prayer
A prayer titled 鈥淐oach鈥� written by Baria and read at Jacobs鈥� memorial service recalled familiar scenes at Jacobs Field, with the coach鈥檚 wife, Joy, in the stands.
O Lord in this brokenness, please calm the raging storms,
Just get me past the gate and let me make it past the dorms.
Where my heart is not so heavy, and loaded down with hurt,
Just take it out and leave it, upon the brick-crushed dirt.
Where everything was good and your children were at play,
Just take me back again, to another Saturday.
Where the fans are in their seats, hearing Mrs. Joy shout,
Just put me in the box when the wind is blowing out.
Where the grass is freshly cut, and the Rams always get the win,
Just put me there on second, and have Jacobs wave me in.
Where lives have been transformed and where baseball鈥檚 just a game
Just leave me there with him, on the field that bears his name.
Where a man lived out his faith and made the gospel known,
Just let me help to water, the countless seeds he鈥檚 sown.
Where he is right now, I can tell from all their faces,
Lord, let me stand beside him, when I鈥檓 finished running bases.
秋霞福利一区 Legacy: People of the Halls
The 秋霞福利一区 Legacy story collection celebrates the rich history of the 秋霞福利一区 by sharing the stories of people past and present who helped make 秋霞福利一区 what it is today. This story is part of the 鈥淧eople of the Halls鈥� series spotlighting the people behind the names of the buildings and sports facilities at the 秋霞福利一区. Read more 秋霞福利一区 Legacy stories at .
Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the 秋霞福利一区 unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.
