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Campus News
The Clarion \ February 26, 2020
Remembering Gil Coan
MLB and Brevard College legend
By Margaret Correll
Layout & Design
Gil Coan was a Major League Baseball player
for teams like the Washington Senators, the
Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago White Sox and
the New York Giants. He died on Feb. 5, 2020
at the age of 97 and was the third oldest living
MLB player at the time of his death.
Born in Monroe, NC, he went on to Brevard
College in 1940, only staying a year, then leaving
and starting work at the Ecusta paper company.
This job set him up for success in the next few
years, playing for the Ecusta Papermakers in the
Western North Carolina Industrial League. Coan
signed to the Washington Senators in 1944, and
started to play in the minor league.
After working very hard, Coan was granted
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the title of “Minor League Player of the Year”
by The Sporting News. After a few low points
in his game and moving back and forth between
the minors and majors, he was called back to the
Senators in 1947. He had some solid playing
time and he was recorded to have played over
100 games per year from 1948 to 1951 with the
Senators.
Coan was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in
1953, where he spent several successful seasons.
After the Orioles he was traded to the Chicago
White Sox and then to the New York Giants to
end his baseball career in 1956. Coan moved
back to the Brevard area to coach the Brevard
College baseball team for five years after retiring
as an MLB player.
Coan was an active member of the community
in Brevard in the years after his baseball career.
He opened Brevard Insurance Agency in 1962,
which is still active and run by his family.
He was named a Trustee Emeritus at Brevard
College and helped establish the Transylvania
Cattleman’s Association.
Gil Coan was inducted into the inaugural
Brevard College Hall of Fame class in 2004.
He was also given the honor of having the
Brevard College baseball field named after him
in 1994. Gil Coan field is home to the current
BC baseball team.
Gil Coan will be remembered as a legendary
and respected member of the Brevard community.
His hard work and legacy will live on through
the students and faculty at Brevard College.
Coan in his Washington Senators uniform, c.1948.
The 1941 Brevard Coiiege basebaii team. Coan can be seen third from the right in the front row.