Sean Coffey Senior Feature
11/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 9, 2005
"Sean's got attitude - he plays like he's mad at everybody," senior Missouri defensive back Calvin Washington says of his classmate and Tiger wide receiver Sean Coffey.
Coffey, meanwhile, stands with hands in pockets, listening intently before throwing his head back with a laugh at Washington's assessment of him as a player.
"I can't describe myself as a player," Coffey says. "I just don't know what to say."
A few adjectives might pop into the minds of Tiger fans regarding the leader of the Mizzou receiving corps. Playmaker - Coffey has already cracked the school's all-time top-10 receiving list and is steadily climbing the ranks. Record setter - Coffey hauled in a Mizzou single-season record 10 touchdown catches in 2004. Consistent - Coffey has caught at least a dozen balls in each of his seasons with the Tigers and has increased his total in each campaign.
According to Mizzou wide receivers coach Andy Hill, however, one of the 6-5, 220-pound senior's most valuable attributes doesn't have anything to do with his physical ability.
"Sean is like a coach out on the fi eld," Hill says. "He knows that defenses are aware of where he is at all times, and he uses that to help open things up for his teammates."
That advantage wouldn't exist, though, if it weren't for the large numbers Coffey has put up throughout his career. He entered his fi nal season in the Mizzou program with over 75 receptions for nearly 2,000 yards and an average of 14.7 yards per catch -numbers that have risen steadily in 2005.
In 2004, the East Cleveland, Ohio, native registered 39 catches for 648 yards, setting a single-season school record 10 touchdowns through the air en route to being named Honorable Mention All-Big 12.
The accolades, however, don't mean as much to Coffey as the cold, hard numbers.
"When it comes to awards, I'm a believer that the end result will show where you stand," he says. "If you do well, then your team will do well. If your team does well, then you deserve awards. It's all about production for the team."
His ability to produce for his team was threatened early this season, though, when he went down with an injury in the season opener against Arkansas State. He was forced to sit out two games during his final season, and the Tigers went 1-1 over that span.
"That hurt for sure - not being able to play," he says. "I hadn't missed a game since my first year playing, so I felt like I was back in my redshirt year again. We played well during that time, but it hurt being unable to help my team."
The 2005 preseason second-team all-conference selection by the Sporting News is back now, as evidenced by his 30-yard touchdown reception from fellow wide receiver Brad Ekwerekwu against Oklahoma State in just his second game back in the lineup as well as his game-tying four-yard touchdown from true freshman quarterback Chase Daniel with just 20 seconds remaining last week against Iowa State that sent the game into overtime.
"I'm feeling good and just taking one game at a time," he says. "I know we have four other guys who stepped up when I was out and who are capable of doing great things for our team. I just hope I can leave them something to shoot for."
Based on Coffey's penchant for both amassing prolific personal statistics and contributing to a team-oriented style of play, it's fitting that he's eager for one of his fellow Tigers to eclipse his marks. After all, as Coffey says, individual accomplishments translate into team success when it's all said and done. -by Cory Walton
