Former Northern Colorado baseball coach, player Carl Iwasaki remembered
Iwasaki retired as coach in May 2022, played for Bears from 1981-84
Condolences spread through social media platforms Thursday following the announcement of the death of Carl Iwasaki, a beloved former Northern Colorado baseball player and coach.
Iwasaki died Wednesday evening according to a post on his Instagram page by his wife, Shelley.
The post said Iwasaki was an organ donor and his last act was donating his liver to save a life. No cause of death was included in the post.
"Such a Carl thing to do," the message read. "We are grateful for all the love and prayers that have been sent Carl's way. Carl was truly a one of a kind, and I hope today you think of him and smile and know he truly lived a wonderful life."
Iwasaki was a catcher for the Bears from 1981-84 playing for UNC Hall of Fame coach Tom Petroff. Iwasaki graduated in 1985 and returned to lead the program from 2010-22.
He was 62 years old, according to information on his Wikipedia page indicating he was born Oct. 30, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Iwasaki was pulled out of retirement last year to be the bench coach for the Grand Junction Jackalopes of the Pioneer Baseball League. The Jackalopes are managed by Chris Knabenshue, who was a teammate of Iwasaki's at UNC.
"When he made the call, I couldn't say no," Iwasaki said last year in a news release from the Jackalopes.