Bill Coughlin
Encyclopedia
William Paul Coughlin was a Major League Baseball
third baseman
for the Washington Senators
(1901–1904) and Detroit Tigers
(1904–1908). Coughlin spent his entire adult life (1899–1943) playing and coaching baseball, as a major league player, minor league coach, and spending his last 23 years as the head baseball coach at Lafayette College
, in Easton
, Pennsylvania
.
, and nicknamed "Scranton Bill" (also "Rowdy Bill"), Coughlin played nine seasons in the major leagues. Coughlin had a career batting average
of .252 with 159 stolen base
s and 123 sacrifice hit
s, including 36 sacrifice hit
s in 1906 (2nd best in the American League). Coughlin was twice among the AL leaders in home run
s during the dead-ball era
, with 6 each year in 1901 and 1902.
Coughlin began his major league baseball career with Washington's National League club in 1899 but played in only 6 games. Two years later, he joined the newly formed Washington Senators
for their inaugural season in the American League
. He played with the Senators from 1901-1905.
Coughlin's best year was 1902, when he had career highs in batting average
(.301), on base percentage
(.348), slugging percentage (.414), hits (141), doubles (27), home run
s (6), and RBIs (71).
Coughlin was also a strong fielder at 3rd base. He led the American League in putout
s by a third baseman
in 1901 with 232 (only 11 short of Willie Kamm
's AL record of 243) and again in 1906 with 188. Over his career, he had 1,269 putout
s at third base. His 232 putouts in 1901 is the 8th highest single season total in history by a major league third baseman.
Coughlin was purchased by the Tigers on July 31, 1904 for $8,000. From that point through the 1908 season, Coughlin was Detroit's starting third baseman. He was a team leader and was named team captain in the 1907 and 1908 seasons. Coughlin was the captain for the Tigers
' first two American League
pennant winners in 1907 and 1908. Coughlin hit .258 in the 1907 and 1908 World Series but did not score. The Tigers lost both Series to the Chicago Cubs
.
Coughlin was a good baserunner. He had 159 stolen bases, including 31 in 1906. He is one of the few MLB players to have stolen 2nd base, 3rd base and home in a single game. He accomplished the feat in June 1906 against the Washington Senators
.
Coughlin was a light-hitting defensive player, which was common for third basemen of that era. In four years as the Tigers regular third baseman, Scranton Bill never hit higher than .252, and he slugged over .300 just once.
teams of 1906-1908, on which Coughlin played, were among the most colorful groups in baseball history, with the flying spikes of Ty Cobb
, on-field antics from Germany Schaefer
and Charley O'Leary
(who toured as a vaudeville act in the off-season), fisticuffs from catcher Boss Schmidt
who once fought an exhibition match against heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson
, and the shouts, gyrations, and jigs of Hughie "Ee-Yah" Jennings
from the third base coaching box.
Coughlin's role in this colorful bunch was as the maestro of the hidden ball trick
. The hidden ball trick
is a play in which the runner is deceived about the location of the ball, in an effort to tag him out. Although no known comprehensive list is known to exist of all times when the hidden ball trick has worked, Coughlin reportedly pulled it off seven times (and at three different positions) -- more than any other player in MLB history. He pulled it off on May 12, 1905 against Hobe Ferris
of the Boston Red Sox
. He did it again on September 3, 1906, catching George Stone in the first inning. In Game 2 of the 1907 World Series
, Coughlin caught Jimmy Slagle
with a hidden ball trick
, the only one in World Series history.
in Easton, Pennsylvania
. From 1909-1917, he was a minor league manager for the Williamsport Millionaires
(1909–1910), Allentown (1912–1913), and Scranton Miners
(1914–1917). He was a player-manager until 1914.
In 1919, Coughlin was involved in the occupation of Germany after World War I. Coughlin conceived and operated a school for umpires run by the Knights of Columbus
in occupied Coblenz, Germany. Coughlin taught the umpire candidates to officiate baseball games for the occupying servicement. Coughlin taught his umpires to play "The Star Spangled Banner" if fights erupted among the players, causing "rocks held ready to avenge an unpopular decision" to fall from "reverent hands." (Harold Seymour, "Baseball:The People's Game" (Oxford Univ. Press 1990), p. 347)
After the war, Coughlin became the head baseball coach at Lafayette College
, a post he held from 1920 to 1943. He had only one losing season in his 23 seasons at Lafayette. His coaching record at Lafayette was 273-134, a .675 winning percentage. His teams were 52-13 against rival Lehigh and 31-8 against Rutgers. Under Coughlin, the Lafayette baseball program became one of the best in the country. Coughlin was inducted into the Helms Foundation College Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Lafayette College Hall of Fame in 1977.
Coughlin died in Scranton, Pennsylvania
in 1943 at age 64.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
for the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(1901–1904) and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1904–1908). Coughlin spent his entire adult life (1899–1943) playing and coaching baseball, as a major league player, minor league coach, and spending his last 23 years as the head baseball coach at Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
, in Easton
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Playing career
Born in Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, and nicknamed "Scranton Bill" (also "Rowdy Bill"), Coughlin played nine seasons in the major leagues. Coughlin had a career batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .252 with 159 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s and 123 sacrifice hit
Sacrifice hit
In baseball, a sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always sacrificed but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice...
s, including 36 sacrifice hit
Sacrifice hit
In baseball, a sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always sacrificed but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice...
s in 1906 (2nd best in the American League). Coughlin was twice among the AL leaders in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s during the dead-ball era
Dead-ball era
The dead-ball era is a baseball term used to describe the period between 1900 and the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919. In 1919, Ruth hit a then league record 29 home runs, a spectacular feat at that time.This era was characterized by low-scoring games and a lack of home runs...
, with 6 each year in 1901 and 1902.
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
for their inaugural season in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
. He played with the Senators from 1901-1905.
Coughlin's best year was 1902, when he had career highs in batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(.301), on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
(.348), slugging percentage (.414), hits (141), doubles (27), home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (6), and RBIs (71).
Coughlin was also a strong fielder at 3rd base. He led the American League in putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s by a third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
in 1901 with 232 (only 11 short of Willie Kamm
Willie Kamm
William Edward Kamm was an American professional baseball player. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball from to . Kamm played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox before finishing his playing days with the Cleveland Indians...
's AL record of 243) and again in 1906 with 188. Over his career, he had 1,269 putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s at third base. His 232 putouts in 1901 is the 8th highest single season total in history by a major league third baseman.
Coughlin was purchased by the Tigers on July 31, 1904 for $8,000. From that point through the 1908 season, Coughlin was Detroit's starting third baseman. He was a team leader and was named team captain in the 1907 and 1908 seasons. Coughlin was the captain for the Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
' first two American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pennant winners in 1907 and 1908. Coughlin hit .258 in the 1907 and 1908 World Series but did not score. The Tigers lost both Series to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
Coughlin was a good baserunner. He had 159 stolen bases, including 31 in 1906. He is one of the few MLB players to have stolen 2nd base, 3rd base and home in a single game. He accomplished the feat in June 1906 against the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
.
Coughlin was a light-hitting defensive player, which was common for third basemen of that era. In four years as the Tigers regular third baseman, Scranton Bill never hit higher than .252, and he slugged over .300 just once.
Maestro of the Hidden Ball Trick
The Detroit TigersDetroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
teams of 1906-1908, on which Coughlin played, were among the most colorful groups in baseball history, with the flying spikes of Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
, on-field antics from Germany Schaefer
Germany Schaefer
Herman A. "Germany" Schaefer was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played fifteen seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Newark Pepper, New York Yankees, and Cleveland Indians....
and Charley O'Leary
Charley O'Leary
Charles Timothy O'Leary was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played eleven seasons with the Detroit Tigers , St. Louis Cardinals , and St. Louis Browns ....
(who toured as a vaudeville act in the off-season), fisticuffs from catcher Boss Schmidt
Boss Schmidt
Charles "Boss" Schmidt was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....
who once fought an exhibition match against heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
, and the shouts, gyrations, and jigs of Hughie "Ee-Yah" Jennings
Hughie Jennings
Hugh Ambrose Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had...
from the third base coaching box.
Coughlin's role in this colorful bunch was as the maestro of the hidden ball trick
Hidden ball trick
In the game of baseball, the hidden ball trick is a play in which the runner is deceived about the location of the ball, in an effort to have him tagged out.-Execution:...
. The hidden ball trick
Hidden ball trick
In the game of baseball, the hidden ball trick is a play in which the runner is deceived about the location of the ball, in an effort to have him tagged out.-Execution:...
is a play in which the runner is deceived about the location of the ball, in an effort to tag him out. Although no known comprehensive list is known to exist of all times when the hidden ball trick has worked, Coughlin reportedly pulled it off seven times (and at three different positions) -- more than any other player in MLB history. He pulled it off on May 12, 1905 against Hobe Ferris
Hobe Ferris
Albert Sayles "Hobe" Ferris, , was a Major League second baseman during the 1900s. He holds the record for the lowest on base percentage of any player in Major League Baseball history with over 5000 plate appearances, recording an OBP of just .265...
of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. He did it again on September 3, 1906, catching George Stone in the first inning. In Game 2 of the 1907 World Series
1907 World Series
The 1907 World Series featured the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, with the Cubs winning the Series four games to none for their first championship....
, Coughlin caught Jimmy Slagle
Jimmy Slagle
James Franklin Slagle was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from 1899 to 1908.Slagle started his professional career in 1895, at the age of 21...
with a hidden ball trick
Hidden ball trick
In the game of baseball, the hidden ball trick is a play in which the runner is deceived about the location of the ball, in an effort to have him tagged out.-Execution:...
, the only one in World Series history.
Life After Major League Baseball
After leaving Major League Baseball, Coughlin became a baseball coach in the minor leagues and then at Lafayette CollegeLafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
in Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
. From 1909-1917, he was a minor league manager for the Williamsport Millionaires
Williamsport Millionaires
The Williamsport Millionaires were a minor league baseball team based in Williamsport from 1906 to 1910. Many teams in this era never adopted formal nicknames and neither did the Millionaires...
(1909–1910), Allentown (1912–1913), and Scranton Miners
Scranton Miners
The Scranton Miners were an Eastern Professional Basketball League basketball team based in Scranton, Pennsylvania that was a member of the American Basketball League. Arthur Pachter was the Owner and coach for many years...
(1914–1917). He was a player-manager until 1914.
In 1919, Coughlin was involved in the occupation of Germany after World War I. Coughlin conceived and operated a school for umpires run by the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
in occupied Coblenz, Germany. Coughlin taught the umpire candidates to officiate baseball games for the occupying servicement. Coughlin taught his umpires to play "The Star Spangled Banner" if fights erupted among the players, causing "rocks held ready to avenge an unpopular decision" to fall from "reverent hands." (Harold Seymour, "Baseball:The People's Game" (Oxford Univ. Press 1990), p. 347)
After the war, Coughlin became the head baseball coach at Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
, a post he held from 1920 to 1943. He had only one losing season in his 23 seasons at Lafayette. His coaching record at Lafayette was 273-134, a .675 winning percentage. His teams were 52-13 against rival Lehigh and 31-8 against Rutgers. Under Coughlin, the Lafayette baseball program became one of the best in the country. Coughlin was inducted into the Helms Foundation College Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Lafayette College Hall of Fame in 1977.
Coughlin died in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
in 1943 at age 64.