In Local Athletics, Mike Jacobs Serves As The Utility Player

Mike Jacobs is the Waldo of Pasadena. Local residents may spot him at Bodkin Park coaching youth softball or standing by the flag at the intersection of Route 100 and Mountain Road. The Pasadena Business Association member might be driving his truck in the organization’s annual Thanksgiving parade. But no matter what he is doing, Jacobs is somewhere out in Pasadena, serving the community he calls home.

“Pasadena has been very good to my family,” emphasized the husband and father, who has lived and worked in Pasadena his entire life. “It’s nice to be able to give back whenever possible.”

A father of six, Jacobs has many roles, but the most time-consuming is his job as president of Lake Shore Athletic Association (LSAA). Some of his duties include fundraising, holding meetings, assigning individuals to chair various committees and taking care of maintenance tasks.

“Our tractor recently fell apart, so I took it to my shop and rebuilt the whole front end to keep it running, because we have to maintain the fields,” he admitted. “Fundraising is also important because equipment is constantly being updated, and safety gear is needed at all times. It is quite costly to maintain the park.”

The volunteer takes pride in working alongside his fellow board members to make Bodkin Park one of the county’s best-maintained sports venues. But his true passion is coaching, a hobby that started 13 years ago. He currently coaches three of his daughters in softball, as well as the Panthers football team that his 13-year-old son plays for.

“The girls all love Coach Mike,” remarked Susan Beatty, who has an 11-year-old daughter on one of Jacobs’ teams. “Some coaches yell a lot, but Mike is always encouraging them, telling the girls to do their best, that they are sisters and to look out for each other.”

Jacobs serves as head coach of the 12-and-under team and assists with the 10-and-under and 8-and-under squads. The father often hosts the softball and football teams at his house so youth can swim, play catch and bond as friends.

Elsewhere in the community, Jacobs acted as PBA president from 2010 to 2011 and still helps with events, including the Veterans Day flag raising ceremony at the intersection of Route 100 and Mountain Road. He also serves on the Amusement License Commission, a body that regulates commercial bingo, and is a member of the Harbor Team committee, a group that advises Maryland Port Administration on placement options for the Baltimore Harbor.

Regardless of his other duties, Jacobs will never leave his on-field responsibilities. His proudest accomplishment is not wins and losses, but witnessing his players transform into successful adolescents.

“A girl that I coached at Glen Burnie when she was 10-12 is now the manager at a restaurant, and I invited her back to help relate to the girls because sometimes they relate better to each other,” Jacobs said. “I have girls that come to me in the offseason and show me their report cards. And that is the most humbling thing, to make a point to have their father drive to my house and knock on the door to show me their report card, and that’s from a girl I haven’t coached for a couple years. I always tell my wife, that is why I coach.”