Vern Kohout

A native of Tacoma, Vern Kohout enjoyed a professional baseball career that took him as high as the Pacific Coast League where he played with the San Francisco Seals.

Kohout was born on Aug. 13, 1927 in Tacoma and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1945. He grew up playing in the Metropolitan Parks League and in American Legion in the 1940s. Kohout played baseball at Lincoln from 1943-45. He was the starting pitcher for the Seattle/Tacoma All-Stars against the State All-Stars at Sick’s Stadium in 1945.

He went on to his professional career after high school, and the list of teams reads like the itinerary of a long journey. In addition to playing in San Francisco, Kohout pitched for the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pioneer League, the Visalia Cubs of the California State League, the Bremerton Blue Jackets and Spokane Indians of the Western International League, and the LaMesa Lobos of the West Texas-New Mexico League.

After leaving pro baseball, he returned to Tacoma where he played Tacoma City League and Valley ball for Busch’s Drive-In and Cheney Studs in 1951-52. Doug McArthur started the Busch’s Drive-In team, and Kohout joined up as a player-coach.

Kohout taught in the Raymond Public School system from 1952-54 and also coached baseball in 1953-54. Prior to that, he spent a year coaching baseball at College of Puget Sound, from where he earned his degree.

Kohout stayed in the education field, teaching in the Olympia and Tacoma school systems and also serving as an adjunct professor at Central Washington State College. From 1964-90 he was an administrator for the United States Dependents Schools in regions throughout the world.