He was born Charles Leroy Coles in Springfield, Ohio, and later moved in with his grandparents in nearby Yellow Springs, where he attended Bryan High School.
From 1992 to 1994 he served as head coach at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio, with a record of 32–16 there.
In 1999, Coles and the RedHawks, led by future NBA forward Wally Szczerbiak, reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 before falling to the University of Kentucky.
On January 20, 2009, Coles recorded his 217th win at Miami, surpassing Darrell Hedric to become the school's winningest coach.
[6] Coles became the all-time MAC wins leader when he picked up his 195th conference victory by beating Ohio University 79–67 on January 16, 2010.
[9] The funeral service was held at Miami University's basketball arena, Millett Hall.
Coles was survived by his wife, Delores, son Chris, daughter Mary Bennett, and four grandchildren.