Pancho Coimbre

Francisco Coimbre was born in Coamo, Puerto Rico, to Guillermo Coimbre and Zoila Atiles. Upon his birth, he was inscribed as a resident of Arroyo in his birth certificate, following a common practice at the time.[2] In 1922, he moved to Ponce along his mother, in order to live closer to his sister, Angela Coimbre. There he began playing baseball under the training and supervision of Miguel Caratini and Antonio Gordan, two hall of famers in the local league.[2]

His first accomplishments in sports were in track and field, where he competed in the 50-yard dash, eventually developing his skills in other aspects of the sport. He continued practicing this sport while attending high school. Later he was transferred to another educational institution in Caguas, Puerto Rico, but when he tried to participate in an athletic competition he was denied permission because he was classified in a different division on the records of Puerto Rico's Instruction Department.[3]

This event led to a court case which marked the first time in Puerto Rico that a court hearing was scheduled for a case involving sports.[3] He subsequently transferred to Ponce High School, where the Instruction Department tried to have him removed of the athleticism team based on allegations that he had received payment as a student-athlete.[4] Judge Roberto Tood Jr. determined that the evidence against Coimbre was insufficient during the hearing and the case was dropped.

Bust of Francisco Pancho Coimbre, in front of the Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre Sports and Recreation Building, Ponce, Puerto Rico

In high school, Coimbre played at the positions of pitcher and second baseman, and he was recommended by a member of the Leones de Ponce to team officials. Leones de Ponce, the local team of the Puerto Rican amateur league, was about to play a series against the San Juan Athletics. Leones de Ponce needed additional players, and Coimbre was selected by team owner Pipo Maldonado. He debuted in a game at Ponce, starting as the right fielder, and recorded four hits in five at bats.[5] Coimbre remained with the team and in 1928 participated in a championship series against Guayama, which Ponce won in six games. In the last game of the series, Coimbre pitched and won with a final score of 5–3, in a game which the team almost lost following an error.[5]

Coimbre's first performance outside Puerto Rico was in the Dominican Republic, where he played for Sandino in Santiago de los Caballeros in 1927. He was accompanied by several Puerto Rican players during this stay. In 1929, he played in Venezuela for the "Magallanes", with appearances as a pitcher and outfielder. Four of his teammates, who now had homes in Caracas, had played with him in the Puerto Rican league.[6] After a solid performance in the 1930 season of the amateur league, Coimbre was recruited by the Tigres del Licey team to play in the Dominican Republic; the Tigres were coached by Charles Dore. Following that season, he continued alternating between both leagues, playing with Santo Domingo in 1931.

After the Puerto Rican league season came to an end in 1932, Coimbre went to work as a security guard in a penal institution and only played with a semi-professional team.[7] Shortly after, he was offered a contract to play in La Guaira, with the Santa Marta club. The season concluded with Buchipluma, a second team owned by Santa Marta's proprietor, winning the league's championship. Following his time with Santa Marta, he continued playing, both in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. While playing with Licey, the team developed a rivalry with El Escogido, which gave Coimbre an opportunity to establish relationships with several players, from both countries. During this period Licey continued to be coached by Dore, and included several well known Dominican players.[7] The team won the league's championship, but Coimbre decided not to attend the award ceremony, choosing to stay in his hotel room instead. Dore took the trophy to Coimbre so that he could enjoy it for a while, but he rejected this and suggested that it be filled with money for a donation.[8]

In 1935, Coimbre moved to Maracaibo where he played for Pastora, in Zulia's Stadium. The team reached the league's final series but lost to Magallanes. Prior to this series, the team had to travel to Caimbas, an industrial city where the games were scheduled. The usual mode of travel was by boat, but following Coimbre's advice, the team took an airplane. At season's end he moved to La Victoria, Aragua, where one of his friends resided in a hacienda. There he played in a series to determine the final roster of Concordia, a team that was going to travel to Puerto Rico. Coimbre participated in the series, but choose to play with Ponce instead of Concordia.[9] In 1937, he returned to the Dominican Republic and his team won the league's championship; he described it as the "most powerful team in his memory".[10]

Formation of the LBPPR and participation in Negro league baseball

Later in 1937, when he returned to Puerto Rico, Coimbre learned that the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico (LBPPR) was being organized. The LBPPR elected Teófilo Maldonado, a press writer, as their president. Coimbre joined the Ponce-Kofresí team, which represented Ponce. The team was coached by Isidro Fabré and owned by Juan Luis Boscio, and the team's roster included several players known by the local fanbase,[11] After the season's conclusion, Coimbre traveled to New York City for the first time in his life, after being invited by a close friend. Coimbre's original intention was to visit his sister, with whom he lived while in the city. In New York, he met Santiago Bartolomei who owned the Puerto Rico Stars (also known as "Puerto Rican Stars"). Bartolomei met with Coimbre and fellow players, and he offered Coimbre a contract to play with the team. He accepted and joined the team, which included players from Puerto Rico and Cuba.[12]

Early poster announcing a baseball game between the San Juan BBC and the Porto Rico Stars in New York

While he played for the Porto Rico Stars, Alejandro Pompéz made Coimbre an offer to play with the New York Cubans. Pompéz became interested in Coimbre after hearing several reviews of his work, but he was initially skeptical of these claims and was hesitant to offer a contract until a group of players recommended Coimbre.[12] He debuted in a game against Buschwick in Brooklyn, New York. In his first two games, Coimbre connected for four hits, three singles and a double. Following this performance Pompéz informed him that he had made the team.[12] After the season concluded he was instantly offered a second contract with the Cubans, now playing in the Negro National League.[12] He also played with Ponce during the 1940–1941 season of the winter league, recording a batting average of .401 with no strikeouts.[12] During his second season with the Cubans Coimbre had an average of .409, and was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career.[13]

Following this success, he returned to Puerto Rico and had a batting average of .372 for Ponce as they won their first LBPPR championship. The next season Coimbre won his first batting championship in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League, finishing at .342 after connecting for base hits in 22 consecutive games.[14] In 1943, he had his best season in the U.S. Negro leagues and was selected to the East's All-Star team for a second time. He finished with a .428 average, the highest with the Cubans. Coimbre received a tribute at Yankee Stadium, where hundreds of Puerto Ricans reunited and awarded him a scroll and a ring recognizing his performance.[15] Coimbre also led the LBPPR in runs batted in, with 27 RBIs. He was subsequently invited to play in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (Mexican Baseball League) for the first time in his career, and joined the Puebla club. Coimbre had problems adapting to Mexico's climate at first; however, his average improved over the course of the season and Coimbre finished among the league's leaders. Coimbre experienced a similar pattern in the 1944–1945 LBPPR season, where he was unable to record a hit in the first games, but finished with his second batting championship.[16]

Later that year, Coimbre joined the El Torices team, located in Barranquilla, Colombia. His participation with the team mostly consisted of managing work since he was unable to play, due to a previous injury. During his time of inactivity, he worked in the Administration of Parks and Recreation, supervising softball games organized by local businessmen.[17] A knee injury from an accidental pitch ended Coimbre's 1946 LBPPR season; the injury required hospitalization and recovery treatment.[17] After recovering, Coimbre traveled to New York in 1948, seeking a contract from the Baltimore Elite Giants or the New York Black Yankees. During this visit he was contacted by Chebrook in the Canadian league, to play in right field.

Coimbre was not able to play in his full capacity, due on ongoing problems from his knee injury. He ended the season with a .316 average, as Chebrook won the league's championship.[18] Coimbre spent the 1948–1951 seasons as a designated hitter in the LBPPR. His final season in the league was in 1952, playing right field and batting fourth in the lineup. Coimbre's last game was against the Cangrejeros de Santurce, where a wild pitch re-injured his knee, prompting his decision to retire as a player.[19]

Following his retirement Coimbre began working as the coach of the Leones de Ponce, leading the team to two championships as well as extending his work to the Caribbean Series, a tournament where the champions of each Caribbean league participate. He received an invitation from the team owner of the Caguas-Guayama team, which was established in Panama, to work as the team manager. Coimbre also worked in the administration of the Indios de Mayagüez, when the team traveled to play in Havana, Cuba.[20] He subsequently decided to work as a coach in the amateur league, while continuing his participation with the professional Ponce team and began coaching a team that represented Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.

Coimbre began promoting an idea that focused in the performance of the team, instead of the success of individual players. In his first day as an amateur coach, Coimbre summoned the players to a conference, where he noted that if all of them felt like "stars" and played for statistics their collective performance would suffer.[21] He won a national championship with the team, but decided to leave it and work with the Cachorros de Ponce, where he won another championship.[21] During this time he also worked as a talent scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates.[22] As a scout he was directly responsible for the hiring of Roberto Clemente, when he urged the Pirates to draft him in the first draw of the Major League Baseball Draft, even though Clemente was under a minor league contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers.[22]

Coimbre died on 4 November 1989, when he was trapped in a house fire. The fire originated in the house's kitchen while he was cooking, consuming the structure's wooden frame. When Coimbre tried to escape he was unable to open the front door, because he had locked it with a padlock.[23]

The City of Ponce honored the memory of Coímbre by naming its sports museum the "Museo Pancho Coímbre". The museum, which contains a large collection of sports memorabilia, is located on the Calle (Street) Lolita Tizol.[24] Also, in Ponce, he is honored at the Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.[25] Also the building housing the Secretaría de Recreación y Deportes on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce is named "Francisco "Pancho" Coímbre".[26] The town of Coamo also honored Coimbre by naming a sports complex "Complejo Deportivo Francisco Pancho Coimbre Park" after him.[27]

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Negro league baseball players
• Black history in Puerto Rico

• Negro league baseball statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Negro leagues) and Seamheads