Coble was born in 1912 in Monroe, North Carolina, the son of John Bunyan and Caroline Virginia née Rudge Coble.[citation needed] He began his professional baseball career in 1936, playing 91 games for the Class D Moultrie Packers and 17 games for the Class B Columbia Senators. Coble then spent 1937 and 1938 with the Class A1 Little Rock Travelers, appearing in 153 total games during those two seasons.
Coble's only major league appearances came in 1939, when he appeared in 15 games for the Philadelphia Phillies between May 1 and August 6. He had seven hits in 25 at bats for the Phillies, for a .280 batting average. Defensively, he had a .982 fielding percentage. Coble also played in 12 games for the Double-A Baltimore Orioles during 1939.
Coble spent 1940 and 1941 with the Class B Rocky Mount Red Sox and Class C Greenville Buckshots, respectively. He did not play during the war years of 1942–1945, serving with the United States Army. Coble's final appearances as a player came during 1946, when he played in 25 games for the Class B Gadsden Pilots. During his seven seasons as a player, Coble appeared in 510 minor league games, accruing a .236 batting average.

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