MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (April 21, 2021) - St. Thomas University (STU) Athletics is saddened to announce the passing of Coaching Legend and STU Hall of Famer Manny Mantrana following a battle with cancer. He was 58 years old.
A public viewing will be held on Friday, April 23, from 6-10 pm at Vista Memorial Gardens, located at 14200 NW 57th Avenue, Miami Lakes, FL 33014. Attendees are asked to wear baseball caps representing the team they played on, worked and/or rooted for when they knew Mantrana.
After graduating from St. Thomas University with his bachelor's degree in Sports Administration in 1990, Mantrana received his master's degree in Guidance and Counseling in 1997. Mantrana took over the STU Baseball program from 1997 - 2008, immediately taking the program to NAIA Regionals. The following season, Mantrana and the Bobcats established a program record for wins (54), which stood for 20 seasons. For the rest of his tenure, Mantrana led STU to two more NAIA World Series appearances (2000, 2007) and left St. Thomas as the all-time winningest coach in program history (451). Mantrana also was recognized as the Southeast Coach of the Year on three occasions, and earned three Florida Sun Conference Coach of the Year awards.
Mantrana was elected to the Bobcat Hall of Fame in 2013, becoming the eighth member and third STU Baseball Coach.
Current STU Baseball Head Coach Jorge Perez served as an assistant coach under Mantrana before taking over the program in 2009. "I am devastated to hear about the passing of my friend and mentor, Manny Mantrana," said Perez. "He gave me a tremendous opportunity in coaching; I turned down an opening with the Texas Rangers to come to STU because of the person that he is."
Perez continued, "I learned how to be the best baseball coach I can be under Manny, and as time went on, we became close friends. I offer my sincerest condolences to his family."
STU President, David A. Armstrong, J.D., stated, "Today is a very sad day at STU, because we lost a legend. Coach Manny was the winningest coach in the great history of Bobcat baseball, until Coach Perez eclipsed that almost unreachable mark this season. Everyone loved Coach Manny and will remember him fondly for his dedication to STU. We offer our prayers, condolences, and support to his wife Marlane and his whole family during this tough time."
Mantrana lived the mission of St. Thomas University, developing his players into "Leaders for Life," and 95% of the student-athletes who attended STU for four years under Mantrana earned a degree. On the field, 45 players received All-Conference or All-Region accolades, 20 signed professional contracts, 10 were named All-Americans, and 5 earned All-American scholar-athlete recognition.
After leaving St. Thomas University, Mantrana became the Head Coach at the University of Texas-Pan American - now, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Mantrana led the team from 2009-2017, rebuilding the program.
Mantrana began his coaching career as the head coach for his alma mater, Jackson High School for four years. Mantrana then assisted at Miami-Dade College in 1995.
St. Thomas University offers its sympathies to his widow, Marlane Schwartz, and daughter Maxine.
About St. Thomas University
St. Thomas is a Catholic University with rich cultural and international diversity committed to the academic and professional success of its students who become ethical leaders in our global community. The only Catholic Archdiocesan-sponsored university in Florida, STU is a private, non-profit university that offers 39 undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees at its 144-acre campus in Miami Gardens, Fla., and through distance learning, including one of the oldest (and highly ranked) undergraduate programs in Sports Administration in the country. STU has been ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report in Social Mobility for regional universities in the South, which means it takes students from the lowest financial strata and catapults them to much higher financial strata in only 10 years. For the last two years in a row, STU has recruited the largest incoming undergraduate classes in the university's history.
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