COVID-19 probably cost Carolina its Hall of Fame ball coach.

If the coronavirus had not crippled the nation at it has, the Tar Heels probably wouldn’t have a new baseball coach quite this soon. Due to the schedule, Mike Fox had some time off to see the light.

With the 2020 season cut short by the pandemic, Fox had the unexpected months to spend with his wife, children and grandchildren. To his surprise, he enjoyed the sudden change in lifestyle. So he stepped down and handed the reins to trusted aide Scott Forbes.

Fox is retiring in his early 60s, younger than his peers at UNC. Anson Dorrance turned 69 in April. Mack Brown will be there this month, Roy Williams just turned 70.

In the NBA, the Spurs Greg Popovich was seen in the bubble wearing a mask and now must wait until next summer to coach the Olympic team, when he will be 72.

There is an undercurrent in the sports world that iconic, long-term coaches stay in their games for too long. They make too much money, which is one of the complaints people hear about why sports have grown out of control. They clog up the coaching pipeline, keeping younger coaches from moving up and opening a spot on the staffs of blue blood programs in football and basketball.

If football is played in the ACC, Big 12 and SEC, which remains dubious, how safe will it be for seniors Mack Brown, Les Miles at Kansas and Nick Saban at Alabama? Their wives probably worry about that more than the ultra-competitive coaches in those leagues.

For Fox, the timing may have been just right. He had taken the Carolina baseball program into elite status. Before he arrived at his alma mater as head coach, the Diamond Heels had been to the college World Series four times, once with Fox at second base. He eventually led them to Omaha four straight years and seven times overall.

He never won that final game, but he became UNC’s all-time leader and discovered another way to enjoy his senior years. Congrats, coach, on a sterling career and your wonderful choice.

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