R.I.P. Tommy Joe Coffey (18 November 1936 - 25 August 2020)

[Hepcat]

CFL legend Tommy Joe Coffey passed away a couple of months ago. He broke into the league with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1959 when star players (including QBs!) were still expected to play both ways. As such in his rookie year he caught 14 passes for 277 yards as a WR and intercepted 3 passes as a defensive back. In 1960 he caught 27 passes for 560 yards and intercepted 1 playing defence.

What added another dimension to his play was filling in as the Eskimos' kicker when needed right from his rookie year. (Teams didn't carry kicking specialists in those days. The first kicking specialist in the CFL was Ted Gerela of the British Columbia Lions in 1967. Ted's brother Roy became the Houston Oiler's placekicker in 1969.)

Tommy Joe Coffey played for Edmonton in 1959, 1960 and 1962-66 and after being traded to Hamilton for the Tiger-Cats from 1967-72. He was the CFL's pass reception leader in 1962, 1964, 1965, and 1969. He broke the 1000 yard receiving mark in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1969. Over his career he caught a total of 650 passes for 10,320 yards which were both lifetime CFL records when he hung up his cleats.

With the Tiger-Cats he was also the first string placekicker. Coffey was the CFL scoring leader in 1962, 1967, 1969, and 1970. He scored a total of 971 points on 65 touchdowns, 204 converts, 108 field goals and 53 singles and retired as the CFL's lifetime scoring leader.

Coffey was a CFL All-Star at Offensive End in 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1970. He was the runner-up for the Schenley Award for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 1962, 1967 and 1970.

His Hamilton Tiger-Cats won Grey Cups in 1967 and 1972. Tommy Joe Coffey was named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

1963 CFL Coins



1964 Nalleys CFL Coins



1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL



R.I.P. to a true legend of the gridiron.