Lafayette's baseball program developed into
one of the finest in the nation under 23 years of Bill
Coughlin's leadership.
Coughlin came to Lafayette after a highly successful professional baseball career.
He captained Detroit Tiger pennant-winning teams
in 1907, 1908, and 1909. He had only one losing
season during his tenure at Lafayette as his teams
won 273 games and lost 134. His overall .675
winning percentage included a 52-13 record versus
Lehigh and a 31-8 mark against Rutgers. Coughlin
coached four major league baseball players at
Lafayette: Mike Gazella `23, Charlie Berry '25, Frank
Grube `27, and Frank Hiller '43. In 1954, he was
inducted into what was then known as the Helms
Foundation College Baseball Hall of Fame.
