I only started following MAC basketball back in 2008. By then Coles was already a titanic figure in the conference. Still, in the several years where my interest and his tenure overlapped he did provide some of the best memories I have of this conference.
His "Evil Genius" could bit pretty much any team he played and his clear headed honesty during press conferences was refreshing. In a lot of ways his brashness was the yin to Reggie Witherspoons Yang. Of all the teams in the conference there was nobody I looked forward to more than Miami, because coles was so much fun to play against.
When Coles retired BJ Fischer summed up how he could win people over on the Bowling Green fan site Falcon Blog.
FalconBlog--Triumphs and Trials in the BGSU Falcon Nation: We must pause in appreciation....Charlie Coles
He left like King Lear, raging. He did not go quietly. He left the strage, thrashing and twisting. They had to drag him off, and you know, in an odd way, you gotta respect that. The world has plenty of places for people who accept their fate.
The entire conference will miss Uncle Charlie.