Dave Coble

Coble was born in 1912 in Monroe, North Carolina,[1][2] the son of John Bunyan and Caroline Virginia née Rudge Coble. He began his professional baseball career in 1936, playing 91 games for the Class D Moultrie Packers and 17 games for the Class B Columbia Senators.[3] Coble then spent 1937 and 1938 with the Class A1 Little Rock Travelers, appearing in 153 total games during those two seasons.[3]

Coble's only major league appearances came in 1939,[1] when he appeared in 15 games for the Philadelphia Phillies between May 1 and August 6.[4] He had seven hits in 25 at bats for the Phillies, for a .280 batting average.[1] Defensively, he had a .982 fielding percentage.[1] Coble also played in 12 games for the Double-A Baltimore Orioles during 1939.[3]

Coble spent 1940 and 1941 with the Class B Rocky Mount Red Sox and Class C Greenville Buckshots, respectively.[3] He did not play during the war years of 1942–1945,[3] serving with the United States Army.[5] Coble's final appearances as a player came during 1946, when he played in 25 games for the Class B Gadsden Pilots.[3] During his seven seasons as a player, Coble appeared in 510 minor league games, accruing a .236 batting average.[3]

Coble was a player-manager during 1941 and 1946, and served as manager for several minor league teams from 1947 through 1952, mainly at the Class D level.[3] His longest tenure was with the Shelby Farmers of the Western Carolina League, managing the team in 1948, 1951, and 1952.[3]

After his baseball career, Coble worked as a real estate salesman.[6] He died in 1971 in Orlando, Florida,[4] and was survived by two sisters and two brothers.[6]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
• Dave Coble at Find a Grave