Mike Martin, a former Florida State coach, passed away on Thursday at the age of 79 after a challenging battle with dementia.Colorado head coach Deion Sanders paid tribute to the late head coach with a moving statement. Sanders was a baseball player under Martin at FSU.

Sanders posted on X, now known as Twitter, saying, “God bless all the family, friends, former players and all on behalf of Coach Mike Martin.” He has one of the sharpest minds in baseball. I genuinely loved and appreciated him. He is a great man, a champion, and a legend above all else.

Under Martin, Deion Sanders performed from 1985 to 1988. In 1986, Sanders had a batting average of.331. In 1987, he also amassed 27 stolen bases. In the sixth round of the 1985 MLB Draft, the Kansas City Royals selected him, but he chose not to sign with them.

Sanders was chosen by the New York Yankees in the 30th round of the 1988 MLB Draft, three years later. Sanders’ MLB career lasted nine years in the end. At Florida State, Sanders was a well-known football player and track & field athlete.

More on legendary head coach Mike Martin

Shortly after he announced his retirement from coaching in the summer of 2021 following a lengthy and fruitful career, Martin started to battle Lewy body dementia. He fought the crippling illness for a considerable amount of time before passing away.

“That’s the progression of that terrible disease—he’s changed,” Carol, Martin’s wife, told the Tallahassee Democrat in October 2023. “Watching my 58-year companion go down that road breaks my heart so much. It’s available around-the-clock. He’s not here with us. He lives alone in his own universe.

Carol said that during moments of dementia, Martin would sometimes lose his sense of location and yell baseball instructions.

When Martin took over as head coach at Florida State in 1980, he guided the team to one of the most remarkable runs in sports history. Martin led Florida State to 17 College World Series appearances and at least 40 wins in each of his seasons.

The Seminoles were a constant in postseason action even though Florida State was never able to capture a national championship.

Martin was considered one of the most esteemed voices in the sport, remaining steadfast despite shifting dynamics throughout time. That’s perhaps why the family found his demential decline so challenging.

Carol informed the Democrat, “He will want me to tell the boys to hit the cut-off man.” “Even though it’s a tragedy, we chuckle at some of what happens. You try to make yourself chuckle. These are the periods when, in his view, he is still doing what he loves and is okay.

“We hope he’s content and at peace in his mind.”

Now that his fight is finished, Mike Martin may truly go to sleep in peace.