He was an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado and received his bachelor's degree with honors in 1943.
During his graduate work he studied amino acid metabolism and nitrogen balance using himself and his fellow students as volunteer subjects.
He moved to the University of Michigan Medical School in 1955 and remained there for the remainder of his career, chairing the biological chemistry department from 1970 to 1990 and becoming the Victor V. Vaughan Distinguished University Professor of Biological Chemistry in 1983.
[2] Coon mentored many graduate students and promoted teaching along with research, including David Ballou and Professor Emeritus Tetsufumi Ueda, a pioneer in neuroscience.
[12][13] The Minor J. and Mary Lou Coon Award was established by him and his wife, to recognize an outstanding graduate student in biological chemistry at the University of Michigan who excels at teaching, research, and service.