So I pulled the wire from the coil off the distributor and held it 1/4” from the block and got a spark then reattached it and pulled plug #2, held it against the block while still plugged in and it fired.
How did you do this and crank it with the key? I bet you did not.
Again. Using the key to crank, and jumpering the start relay is DIFFERENT. The run and start circuits of the key are two different electrical conditions.