An excellent, hustling center-fielder, Gil Coan roamed the power alleys of spacious Washington, D.C. Stadium during the late 1940s-early-1950s. A fleet-footed 5'11", 198-pound ball-hawk, he made his big-league debut with the Washington Senators in 1946 and during his playing days was acknowledged to be a highly admired give-it-your-all fans' favorite. Although, he was sidelined with a fractured skull in June 1950, he returned to the Senators' lineup on July 14 and hit .303 for the year; the first of two straight .303 seasons.

Gil Coan's best offensive season was 1951, when he lined a career-best 25 doubles, 7 triples, 9 home runs, scored 85 runs, 62 RBIs, a .426 slugging percentage for the 7th place Senators who were 62-92, and he led the team with 163 hits, while batting .303. Speaking of by-gone-days and of changing times - the always pleasant Senators' star center-fielder rated tops in signing fans' autographs (free of charge).

In 1954, Gil Coan was traded to the Baltimore Orioles where he hit .279 in 94 games. After the 1955 season, he was once more traded - this time to the New York Giants - where he played only four games. Gil Coan's career: Center-fielder, Bats Left, Throws Right; Washington Senators 1946-1953; Baltimore Orioles 1954-1955; New York Giants 1956. .... .254 BA in 918 games ... 731 hits in 2877 at bats, stole 83 bases in 121 attempts. Archives - "Thanks for the memories" - manager@baseballhistorian.com