Brian Cole

Brian Keith Cole (September 28, 1978 – March 31, 2001) was an American professional baseball outfielder. Cole played in Minor League Baseball for the New York Mets organization from 1998 to 2000, becoming one of the top prospects in baseball. He died in a car accident at the age of 22 in 2001.

Career Cole was born in Meridian, Mississippi and attended Meridian High School. He played both baseball and American football, scoring a school record 22 touchdowns in his senior year. In his lone season at Navarro he hit .524 with 27 home runs, 82 runs batted in (RBI), 95 runs scored and 49 stolen bases in 60 games. For his play, he was named Baseball America's Junior College Player of the Year.

Cole was then drafted by the New York Mets in the 18th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft and chose to sign.

Prior to the 2001 season, Cole was ranked by Baseball America as the Mets third best prospect and the 64th best in all of baseball. He was invited to spring training for the first time that season, where he impressed coaches, including Mookie Wilson.

Death On March 31, 2001, Cole was driving to his parents' home in Meridian from Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida, when he lost control of his vehicle, causing it to roll numerous times and flip over. He had been trying to reenter the road after another car had entered his lane causing him to enter the median. Cole, who was not wearing his seat belt, was ejected from the car causing major injuries to his skull, brain, lungs and several other organs. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead a few hours later. His cousin was also in the car, but was wearing a seat belt and avoided serious injury.

In 2010, his family won $131 million in a lawsuit filed against the Ford Motor Company, claiming that the Ford Explorer (the car Cole was driving) is "defective and unreasonably dangerous for the uses for which it was marketed because the vehicle has an unreasonable tendency to roll when used as Ford marketed it to be used [as a station wagon replacement], and that the vehicle is also defective and unreasonably dangerous from an occupant protection or 'crashworthiness' standpoint because the safety belt failed to remain locked and permitted Brian to be thrown from the car and killed."

Teammate and friend Pat Strange named his son Brian Cole Strange, in honor of Cole.