Hi ya Rusty. If the hub isn't anchored to the crank, one would think it would pull kind of jerky. It's worth a look. Some models have the key built into the hub. I'm sure once or twice you've pulled on a rope of a mower that had no blade on the bottom. So what engine is on this? If the key is OK, I would zip tie the brake open, pull the spark plug and feel how it turns w/o compression.

You disconnected the ground wire. Was it removed from the coil body itself?

I get the impression there is no spark, but you don't specifically say that.

If you have no spark from two different coils, and the ground wire is disconnected, I'd say you have two bad coils or a very strange problem.

Rusty have you verified if the bail shutoff switch is faulty (to ground) ? Like Bay has suggested this would cause the no fire situation .

Have you tried putting some fuel in the spark plug hole and seeing if it will fire?

Well, you all have given me some good ideas, but i have some other things to do right now. I will try them next week, hopefully. Thankx, fellers! Rusty J.

I even tried cutting the green wire to the safety shut-off switch. didn't help. As soon as i get that infernal Scotts lawn tractor out of here, for the third time, that Toro is next!
The Scotts lawn tractor ran well mowing half a yard, and then the left hand spindle broke the pulley off, shaft and nut and all. So, another friend donated two nice deck spindles, and i'm sure the thing will work when i get it reassembled.

So, i decided to really check the Toro mower again, so i took it all apart, didn't find the shutoff wire bad, nothing else wrong, had good compression, Starter rope pulled well and recoiled well, no extra wires: No start! At all-not even trying to run!
That did it-outside it went-didn't even cover it up, just let it sit in the rain and sun. Sat there 5 days and nights. A fellow fireman came in looking for a part for a mower. He saw the toro sitting there, asked about it, i told him what all i had done to it, and i gave it to him-free! We put it in his truck--he left--and called me an hour later, said that danged mower started right up and runs well!!! GRRR! I think he was spoofing me, but-well-ya never can tell.