Bobby Watt, CC '16; George Smith CC '15, TC '16; and Mike Buonoguro were three of the stars on the 1916 squad, which Coakley considers the greatest team he ever coached. All were offered major league contracts, though Smith was the only one who accepted, signing with the New York Giants at the end of the 1916 season to become only the second player during the modern era of Columbia baseball (Eddie Collins CC '07 being the first) to make the show. The right-handed pitcher whom Columbia alums would later dub the team's "best all-around man" would play for four National League teams during his eight-season professional career. Watt, the captain and secondbaseman in both 1915 and 1916, opted to become Columbia's graduate manager of athletics, a position he would hold for over two decades. While wearing the Light Blue, he had run up a streak of 20 errorless games and batted .376. Buonoguro, a catcher who also had a strong academic record, decided to become an eye surgeon, instead.

Tellef Tellefson was a steady presence in the Lion rotation from 1947-1949, his 1.77 career ERA still a Columbia record to this day. The above picture was taken in 1948.

Paul Governali, like Siwacki, was better known for his skills on the gridiron than on the diamond, but he spent three good years in the starting lineup for the "Coakleymen," as well, before embarking on a professional football career.

Ed Brominski was a standout catcher, responsible for much of the success of the back-to-back championship 1933 and 1934 clubs, despite being injured on April 28 for the rest of the latter season. He was also the captain of the 1935 club. Post-Columbia, he went on to a career in the minor leagues.

Kermit Tracy was the Lions' pitching ace and captain in 1951. Despite having struggled somewhat during his first year in 1950 -- including suffering a broken nose during an early-season loss to Rutgers -- the righthander exploded onto the scene as a sophomore, responsible for six of Columbia's ten victories during Coakley's last season as coach.