Tommy Joe Coffey
Tommy Joe Coffey (November 18, 1936 – August 25, 2020) was an American-born Canadian Football League (CFL) player who was a wide receiver and place kicker for the Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts.
| No. 75 | |
| Born: | November 18, 1936 Texas, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died: | August 25, 2020 (aged 83) Ontario, Canada |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | WR/K |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| College | West Texas State |
| NFL draft | 1959 / Round: 8 / Pick: 96 |
| Drafted by | Baltimore Colts |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1959–1966 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| 1967–1972 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 1973 | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970 |
| CFL East All-Star | 1967, 1968, 1970 |
| CFL West All-Star | 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| Awards | 1962 – Dave Dryburgh Memorial Trophy 1962, 1967, 1970 – CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Runner Up |
| Honors | 1988 – Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour Grey Cup champion – 1967, 1972 |
| Career stats | |
Tommy Joe has 4 children, 6 grandchildren and 13 great grand children and 2 great great grandchildren.
CFL
In his fourteen-year career he caught 650 passes for a total of 10,320 yards and 63 touchdowns. He surpassed 1,000 yards receiving 4 times: 1963 to 1965 and 1969, his most prolific year being 1965 with 81 receptions for 1,286 yards. His best TD totals were 1962 and 1969 with 11, his best point totals 1969 with 148 points and 1962 with 129. He was replaced as the Tiger Cat place kicker by Ian Sunter after the 1971 season, hitting only 11 of 27 field goal attempts. He also played some defense in his first two years, intercepting 3 balls in 1959 and 1 in 1960.
Coffey was a member of two Grey Cup winning teams, in 1967 and 1972, both with Hamilton against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, especially during the 1967 season, catching 42 passes for 683 yards (16.3 yards/catch) and 5 touchdowns and hitting 18 of 27 field goal attempts for a total of 107 points. In the 55th Grey Cup (1967) game, he scored 3 points as a kicker (2 converts and 1 rouge after a missed field goal). In the 1967-1972 span with Hamilton, he scored 603 points, third on their all-time list, see Hamilton Tiger-Cats all-time records and statistics.
In 1968 Coffey's Tiger-Cat helmet was stolen from a pool hall. 48 years later, in November 2015, Coffey was reunited with his stolen helmet.[1]
Awards
He was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1977 and voted one of the CFL's top 50 players (#27) by the Canadian sports network TSN.
Video clips
Statistics
http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/c/coffey_tommy_joe.htm https://www.cfl.ca/page/retroweek_player_tommy-joe-coffey
References
- Milton, Steve (3 November 2015). "Opinion - Ticat star Tommy Joe Coffey and his stolen helmet to be reunited". thespec.com.