Grinnell College Athletics Hall of Fame
Harris Coggeshall '29, Grinnell's most celebrated tennis player, also had a noteworthy career in Pioneer basketball. Even before competing as a collegian, "Coggy" had an impressive record in tennis. He was national junior runner-up, twice Iowa singles champion, Nebraska state title holder and with another Grinnellian, Wes Stotts '27, was ranked No. 1 in Iowa state doubles. Coggeshall went on to participate in national tennis tours, once advancing to the semi-finals of the U.S. grass court tournament. The Des Moines native, a lifelong competitor in court sports, won Iowa state titles in tennis, handball and squash in the same year. Eventually he moved into the masters ranks. His feats merited induction into the Iowa and Missouri Valley Sports Hall of Fame. At Grinnell, "Coggy" also captained the basketball team and was No. 7 scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1929 with a 6.6 average! During WWII he served as a Naval commander and was awarded the silver star. Practicing law in Des Moines from 1941 to 1987, Coggeshall, who died in 1993, also served on the city and state civil service commissions.
