[4] Coan started out as a skinny kid being picked on at school, and decided to take up bodybuilding in his basement using old iso-kinetic cord machines.

He eventually moved on to an Olympic weightlifting set owned by a friend, guided by the exercise instructions in Arnold Schwarzenegger's book: Education of a Bodybuilder.

He got the membership at the Chicago Health Club and after seeing Bill Kazmaier, started powerlifting with a friend and within six months, squatted 500 lb (227 kg).

[5] During 1991 Senior Nationals, he became the lightest person to cross the 2,400 lb (1,089 kg) barrier in the powerlifting total (a sum of three lifts: squat, bench, and deadlift).

Although serving a lifetime ban from the IPF for doping, Coan is among the people still acknowledged and regarded a legend in the world of powerlifting and spends much of his time mentoring young lifters coming into the sport.