Richard Henry Cogan (December 5, 1871 – May 2, 1948) was an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player and manager who played three seasons in the major leagues. He was 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed 150 pounds."Dick Cogan Statistics and History" baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
Career
Cogan was born in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.pitched 344 innings for the Atlantic League's Paterson Silk Weavers, going 21–21 with a 2.27
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
."Dick Cogan Minor League Statistics & History" baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2011. Cogan played one game for the major league
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
on May 10, 1897, and gave up three earned runs in two innings. He finished the season back in the Atlantic League with the Newark Colts and went 20-11 there.
Cogan stayed with the Colts in 1898 and 1899. In 1899, he went 16–8 on the mound. He also played in the outfield and at third base and batted .306. Cogan received his second shot in the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
that year, with the
Chicago Orphans
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
. He made five starts for Chicago and went 2–3 with a 4.30 ERA. He stayed in the majors in 1900, playing for the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, but only appeared in two games for them. His final MLB appearance was on June 25.
Cogan went back to the minors in 1901. In 1903, he was a
player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
for the Eastern League's
Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National Leagu ...
. He then organized the
Hudson River League
The Hudson River League was formed in 1903 as a class D minor baseball league after playing one season in 1886. Upgraded to Class C the next season, it continued through 1907 before collapsing. There were twelve cities that represented the league ...
in 1904, and he played for and managed the circuit's Paterson Intruders club until 1907."Dick Cogan's Obit" thedeadballera.com. Retrieved September 29, 2011. Later, he organized and managed a Negro team called the Dick Cogan Smart Sets.
Cogan died in Paterson in 1948. He was buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey.