A Life-Long Dream Manifesting for Two Black College Baseball Coaches

Marcus Smith and James Cooper Stepping into Their Dreams

Marcus Smith began his head coaching career at LeMoyne-Owen College before moving to Vorhees College and on his way to NCAA Division I, Lafayette College. Photo © 2017 Cascade Publishing House

Growing up in College Park, Georgia, Marcus Smith enjoyed playing baseball. It was a sport he excelled in, playing out of Old National Park from age six to fourteen. He earned an athletic scholarship to Albany State University, his mom’s alma mater. Like anyone who has ever played baseball as a kid, the thoughts of a professional career floated through Smith’s head.

During his senior year, Smith took stock of his talent. While he was an excellent collegiate baseball player, he did not draw the attention of baseball scouts, if any came down to Albany, Georgia. Smith knew he wanted a future in baseball, so he charted a course to land a head baseball coaching job at a National Collegiate Athletic Association, Division I school. A tall order for a young man playing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a Division- II program. There are only a handful of Black collegiate baseball coaches on the Division I level, and most of them head up programs at Historically Black colleges and Universities (HBCU).

But what is life without dreams?

Smith hasn’t landed a head coaching job at an NCAA D-I program yet, but he is getting a little closer to manifesting his dream job. In February…