Bill Coughlin

1903 E107 Breisch Williams

William Paul Coughlin
(Rowdy Bill or Scranton Bill)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 140 lb.

• Debut August 9, 1899
• Final Game September 23, 1908
• Born July 12, 1878 in Scranton, PA USA
• Died May 7, 1943 in Scranton, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bill Coughlin was a third baseman in the majors for nine seasons. Originally debuting in Washington, he had his best season in 1902 when he hit .301/.348/.414 with 84 runs scored and 27 doubles. A regular much of his career, he came of age with the Detroit Tigers, serving as captain of their 1907 and 1908 World Series squads. Bill became a skilled practitioner of the hidden ball trick in his Detroit days, performing the feat seven times (at three different positions) in a record that will never be broken. He turned the only one in World Series history by catching Jimmy Slagle napping in Game 2 of the '07 Fall Classic.

Coughlin also played eleven seasons in the minors, starting at 17 and finishing at 35. After his major league career, he managed in the minors from 1909 to 1917 (player-manager until 1914), and was the head coach at Lafayette College from 1920 to 1943, compiling a 273-134 record. He umpired five American League games in 1904.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1909	Williamsport Millionaires	Tri-State League	61-53	3rd	none	none
1910	Williamsport Millionaires	Tri-State League	60-50	3rd	none	none
1912	Allentown	Tri-State League	65-47	2nd	none	none
1913	Allentown	Tri-State League	59-52	2nd	none	none
1914	Scranton Miners	New York State League			none	none	replaced John Kelly
1915	Scranton Miners	New York State League	68-55	4th	none	none
1916	Scranton Miners	New York State League	67-52	2nd	none	none
1917	Scranton Miners	New York State League		--	none	--	replaced by Jack Connors