Hall of Fame
Raised by his grandparents in Van Horne, Iowa, Wallace "Skip" Swan was recruited to Coe by Hall of Famer Bill Fitch '54 but never played for the future two-time NBA coach of the year. Fitch left Coe to become the head basketball coach at the University of North Dakota. Co hired Don King who coached Skip in basketball and baseball. Skip was an all-Midwest Conference selection in both In the gym, Skip was the leading scorer for Kohawk basketball - averaging 20.5 points per game - and a first-team all-conference performer his senior year. He scored a career high 5/ points that season against Grinnell. He also shot a team high 58.2 percent from the field in 1963-64 with 215 rebounds. On the diamond, Skip was one of Coe's leading hitters while dividing his time between outfield, shortstop and pitcher. He was a three-time all-conference
honoree and shared MVP honors his senior season with fellow Hall of Famer Rich Tosi. He batted 333 in 1965 with a team-high 19 hits. A biology major, Skip pledged to Sigma Nu Fraternity at Coe. He went on to
complete his master's in physical therapy at the University of Iowa before serving for many years as director of physical therapy at St. Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point, Wis., and, later, at Sandwich Community Hospital in Sandwich, Ill. Prior to his death in 2003, Skip spent 13 years working in the home healthcare field, treating patients in their homes and in nursing homes. It is unfortunate that Skip could not be here to help celebrate this moment, but most fitting that his name will forever stand among the all-time Kohawk greats.
