At the age of 10, Coan had an infection in his left hand which resulted in a partial amputation of his thumb. He found the prosthesis doctors gave him hindered his playing ability, so he decided not to use any adaptive equipment. Coan said the missing thumb did not affect his hitting but interfered with throwing.[2] Coan graduated from Brevard College in 1942.
In 1947, Coan made 21 hits in 42 at bats for a .500 batting average to collect the highest average for any player who had 30 or more at-bats in a major league season, setting a record that was surpassed by Rudy Pemberton in 1996 with a .512 BA (21-for-41). His most productive season came in 1951, when he posted career highs in home runs (9), runs batted in (62), runs (85) and games played (135) while hitting .303 (ninth in AL), equaling a personal mark set the year before. Coan also tied a major league record he shares with four other players by hitting two triples in the same inning on April 21, 1951.
Over eleven seasons, Coan was a .254 hitter (731-for-2877) with 39 home runs and 278 RBI in 918 games, including 384 runs, 98 doubles, 44 triples, 83 stolen bases, and a .316 on-base percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .973 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions.[1]
Later life
Following his career, Coan entered the insurance business. From 1962, the Brevard Insurance Agency was owned and operated by Coan in Brevard, North Carolina, and after his retirement in 1986, his son and grandson continued to run the agency.
