TCC Baseball Coaching History

Carl Nelson - 1967-71

Dr. Carl Nelson was the first head coach in Tallahassee Community College's athletic history, guiding the Eagle Baseball program from 1967-71. In five seasons, he compiled a record of 62-46-1. His 1968 team, which finished 15-9, was held to less than ten runs on only four occasions. Dubbed "Murderers' Row," the lineup included four players who batted over .400. Following the 1969 season, he took his team to South America and won six out of eight games against international competition during a two-week tour in Columbia. Dr. Nelson was one of the original faculty members, and also coached a golf team from 1968-71, at what was then known as Tallahassee Junior College when the College's doors opened in 1966 at Tallahassee's Godby High School. During his tenure at TCC, he was the primary Physical Education instructor and served as Chairman of Lifetime Sports. An innovator, Dr. Nelson introduced both the campus and community to the popular European system of community exercise known as Vita Par Cour, or, loosely translated, "run to live." In 1978, he brought that concept to life as the architect of the Fun Run, a 1.8-mile course for running, jogging, and sprinting. Dr. Nelson earned his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from Florida State University, where he played baseball for the Seminoles from 1956-60. He retired from TCC in 1993.

Mike McLeod - 1990-2022

When Tallahassee Community College introduced Mike McLeod on September 4, 1990, it had a rookie head coach, no facilities and a baseball program that had been dormant for 20 years. Fast-forward to 2022 and McLeod, the longest-tenured head coach in Region 8, boasts more than 1000 career wins as he enters his 32nd season at the helm of the Eagles’ baseball program. Beyond the wins, McLeod has become one of the game’s most respected coaches and Tallahassee boasts one of the country’s most recognized baseball brands.

After fielding a club team in 1991, the Eagles began play in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) one year later as a member of the Florida College System Activities Association’s (FCSAA) Panhandle Conference (PC).

During his tenure at Tallahassee, McLeod has guided the Eagles to five outright PC Championships – 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2013 – while being named co-champions in 2002. His teams have made a total of 11 trips to the NJCAA Gulf District/FCSAA Baseball Tournament, most recently in 2018. He has also been named Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year five times, receiving the award in each of Tallahassee’s championship seasons (1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2013).

Bryan Henry - 2022-Present

Bryan Henry is entering his second season as head coach at Tallahassee Community College. He is the third head coach in program history, and second of the modern era. He took the reins from Mike McLeod following the 2022 season, who retired after serving as head coach for 32 years. 

In Henry's first season in charge, the Eagles finished the season 29-18 narrowly missing the postseason.