Mike Coolbaugh

In 2008, Minor League Baseball began presenting the annual Mike Coolbaugh Award to someone who has "shown an outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game, and skill in mentoring young players on the field".

Following his professional playing career, Coolbaugh turned to coaching. On July 3, 2007, he was hired as first base coach for the Texas League's Tulsa Drillers, the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

On July 22, 2007, Coolbaugh was killed during the ninth inning of a game against the Arkansas Travelers in North Little Rock, Arkansas, when a line drive hit by Drillers catcher Tino Sanchez struck him in the neck while he was standing in the first base coach's box. The impact pulverized Coolbaugh's left vertebral artery, which supplies significant parts of the brain with blood. The result, according to Pulaski County Coroner Mark Malcolm, was a severe brain hemorrhage that essentially killed Coolbaugh on impact. Travelers general manager Pete Laven was among the first to reach Coolbaugh, along with Travelers team doctor James Bryan, team athletic trainer Brian Reinker and Gene France, a local doctor who was sitting near the first base dugout with his daughter and a family friend, both of whom are also physicians. France watched as Bryan administered pain stimulus, applying pressure to various areas of Coolbaugh's body, all with no response. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was administered to Coolbaugh on the field and he was breathing until the ambulance reached the hospital.

After clinching the National League Wild Card playoff berth during the 2007 Major League Baseball season, the Colorado Rockies announced that the players voted to award Coolbaugh's widow, Amanda, a full share of their playoff winnings. Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd said, "when I heard about what the players did, I almost cried." As the Rockies made it to the World Series, her share ended up being $233,505.18.

On November 8, 2007, MLB general managers decided that base coaches would wear helmets starting in the 2008 season.

In his honor, the Texas League established the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Coach of the Year Award in 2007 to honor the most outstanding hitting or pitching coach in the league. The first recipient was his brother, Scott Coolbaugh.

In 2004, he set a franchise record by hitting 30 home runs with the New Orleans Zephyrs, an affiliate of the Houston Astros. In 2005, Coolbaugh was with the Astros' farm system and while playing for their Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express, had 27 home runs and 101 runs batted in. The Astros were prepared to bring him up to the major leagues until he suffered a broken bone in his left hand during a game. In 2006, he signed with the Kansas City Royals. However, during spring training, Coolbaugh shattered his left wrist, leading to his retirement as a player.

Coolbaugh never played for the Blue Jays, but was called up to the major leagues on July 15, 2001, while playing for the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians. He played third base with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002. Coolbaugh made 44 career appearances, mainly at third base or as a pinch hitter, hitting .183.

A 1990 graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School in San Antonio, Texas, Coolbaugh was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 16th round (433rd overall) of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. Coolbaugh spent 11 seasons in the minor leagues. He broke the Southern League record for runs batted in during a season.

Michael Robert Coolbaugh (June 5, 1972 – July 22, 2007) was an American baseball player and coach. Born in Binghamton, New York, he was the brother of major leaguer Scott Coolbaugh. Coolbaugh died after being hit by a line drive while working as a first-base coach in a minor league game.