Daniel George Coogan (February 16, 1875 – October 28, 1942) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player and coach. After graduating from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

, he played professionally for 11 seasons, including one in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

with the Washington Senators. He also coached several college teams during and after his playing career. He was tall and weighed ."Dan Coogan Statistics and History"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 9, 2012.

Early life

Coogan was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, in 1875. His parents, John and Emma Coogan, died when he was young.Berger, Ralph
"Dan Coogan"
sabr.org. Retrieved July 9, 2012. Coogan attended

Girard College Girard College is an independent college preparatory five-day boarding school located on a 43-acre campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school was founded and permanently endowed from the shipping and banking fortune of Stephen Girard upon ...

and played for the school's baseball team until he graduated in 1892. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania and was the baseball team's

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...

from 1892 to 1894. During this time, he acquired the nickname "Little Danny Coogan" due to his small stature."Daniel George Coogan (1875-1942)"
archives.upenn.edu. Retrieved July 9, 2012.

Professional career

In 1895, Coogan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and started his professional baseball career with the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

's Washington Senators. He played 26 games for the Senators, mostly as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

, and batted .221 with seven

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

. Coogan then played in the minor leagues from 1896 to 1906. He had stints with several teams in the Eastern League and the

New York State League The New York State League was an independent baseball league that played six seasons between 2007 and 2012 in New York State and the New York City metro area. Over 500 NYSL players have been signed by professional teams. Players from forty-eight ...

. Coogan coached the University of Pennsylvania's baseball team from 1904 to 1906. He coached at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

from 1906 to 1913. He later coached at

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

and

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate ...

."Dan Coogan's Obit"
. thedeadballera.com. Retrieved July 9, 2012. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he was a physical director with the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

. Coogan died in Philadelphia in 1942 and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coogan, Dan 1875 births 1942 deaths 19th-century baseball players Major League Baseball shortstops Washington Senators (1891–1899) players Bowdoin Polar Bears baseball coaches Cornell Big Red baseball coaches Georgetown Hoyas baseball coaches Lehigh Mountain Hawks baseball coaches Penn Quakers baseball coaches Springfield Ponies players Providence Grays (minor league) players Providence Clamdiggers (baseball) players New Bedford Whalers (baseball) players Worcester (minor league baseball) players Rochester Bronchos players Rome Romans players Binghamton Bingos players Cortland Wagonmakers players Reading Coal Heavers players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Utica Pent-Ups players Schenectady Electricians players Schenectady Frog Alleys players Scranton Miners players Nashville Vols players Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players Baseball players from Philadelphia