Gil Coan

Gilbert Fitzgerald Coan

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• School Brevard College
• Debut April 27, 1946
• Final Game April 25, 1956
• Born May 18, 1922 in Monroe, NC USA
• Died February 4, 2020 in Hendersonville, NC USA

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Biographical Information

Speedy outfielder Gil Coan played 11 years in the major leagues, mostly with the Washington Senators.

Despite losing most of his left thumb to an infection as a 10 year-old, Coan went on to play college baseball at Brevard College. He signed with the Senators and began his pro career in 1944. The following year, he hit .372 with 16 home runs for the Chattanooga Lookouts and was named Minor League Player of the Year. He reached the majors with Washington in 1946 but struggled at the plate, hitting just .209 in 59 games. He was back with Chattanooga for most of the next season, but after being called up by the Senators in September, he set the record for most at bats in a season in which a player hit .500 or better, collecting 21 hits in 42 at-bats to do the deal. Coan became a regular in the Washington outfield in 1948, stealing a career-high 23 bases that summer. He hit .303 in both 1950 and 1951, clubbing 9 homers in the latter year. On April 21st, 1951, facing the New York Yankees at Griffith Stadium, he tied a record by hitting 2 triples in one inning. After eight seasons with the Senators, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Roy Sievers in 1954. He ended his career with stints with the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants and spent a year back in the minors with the Minneapolis Millers.

In 1956, Coan entered the insurance business, and since 1962, the Brevard Insurance Agency has been owned and operated by his family. Gil retired in 1986, and his son and grandson continue to run the agency. In 1994, the baseball field at Brevard College was named in his honor. In his later years, Coan worked on his farm, played golf, and was active in church. He died at age 97 in 2020 and was the third oldest former major leaguer at the time of his death.

Records Held

• Triples, inning, 2, 4/21/51 (tied)

Notable Achievements

• 1945 Minor League Player of the Year, Chattanooga Lookouts, Southern Association

Related Sites

• Gil Coan at the SABR Bio Project
• Brevard baseball legend Gil Coan passes away