Topekan Harland Coffman is bowling in this photograph from the 1960s. Coffman was a lifelong Topekan who played high school, American Legion, minor league, and semi-pro baseball throughout his youth and young adulthood. He pitched for several minor league teams between 1948 and 1953. In the 158 minor league games for which his statistics are available, he achieved an overall record of 62-46, with an ERA of 3.19. In 1952, Coffman participated in the St. Louis Cardinals' spring training camp, but did not make the team roster in the regular season. His professional playing days ended when he suffered an arm injury and opted not to have surgery recommended by doctors to extend his baseball career. After his minor league career, Coffman played several years with the Topeka Decker Oilers, a semi-pro team managed by his father, A.L. 'Pooch' Coffman. In the late 1940s and 1950s, the Decker Oilers were a perennial contender for the state semi-pro baseball title, competing each year in the state tournament held in Wichita. Harland Coffman worked 34 years for the Topeka Capital Journal. He died in 2010 at the age of 81.
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