Coffman Wins John Mackey Tight End Award
12/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 11, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - University of Missouri senior tight end Chase Coffman (Peculiar, Mo.) has been named the recipient of the 2008 John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation's top tight end. Coffman, who was announced as the award winner during tonight's ESPNU Home Depot College Football Awards Show from the Atlantic Dance Hall on the Disney Boardwalk in Orlando, Fla., beat out a pair of Big 12 Conference competitors, as the other two finalists along with Coffman are Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma and Brandon Pettigrew of Oklahoma State.
He becomes the first Tiger to win a national individual position award, and he joins former standout Brock Olivo as the only Tigers to win national awards. Olivo was the recipient of the Mosi Tutupu Special Teams Player of the Year Award in 1997.
“I'm really honored by this, to win the award that says you're the best in the nation at your position, it means a lot,” said Coffman, who was in Orlando attending the show, as the guest of teammate and friend, Jeremy Maclin, who was one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award (tight ends aren't invited to the show, but Maclin insisted that Coffman come with him anyway because he deserved it).
| Mackey Award Finalist Statistical Comparison | ||||||||
| Player, School | Year | GP | Rec. | Yards | Avg. | TDs | YPG | RPG |
| Chase Coffman, MU | Sr. | 11 | 83 | 920 | 11.1 | 10 | 83.6 | 7.55 |
| Jermaine Gresham, OU | Jr. | 13 | 58 | 888 | 15.3 | 12 | 68.3 | 4.46 |
| Brandon Pettigrew, OSU | Sr. | 9 | 36 | 421 | 11.7 | 0 | 46.8 | 4.00 |
“I'm really happy for my family and especially my Dad (Paul) who taught me so much about football,” Coffman said. “I have to give a lot of credit to my coaches over the years, and definitely Coach (Bruce) Walker (MU tight end coach) and Coach Pinkel for giving me the opportunities they have at Mizzou. It's an individual award, but it's also something that our team earns, because it doesn't happen without a great quarterback like Chase (Daniel) and our great playmakers like Jeremy (Maclin) and D-Wash (TB Derrick Washington) who draw attention away from me, and our offensive line which gives Chase time to make the throws. I hope everyone takes some satisfaction in knowing they helped make this happen,” he said.
Coffman won the award, despite being hobbled the entire last month of the season after suffering a sprained toe (turf toe) during a two-touchdown day at Baylor on Nov. 1st. The injury forced him out of subsequent games against Kansas State and Iowa State, and kept him well below 100 percent for the last two games against Kansas and Oklahoma. In spite of that, Coffman was the clear top statistical tight end among BCS schools, with his 83 receptions for 920 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Coffman has also excelled in the classroom, as he is scheduled to earn his degree this December - in only 3½ years. He's taking 18 hours of classwork this semester in order to finish up his degree work.
His top receiving games in 2008 have included 12 catches for 140 yards and 1 TD at #1 Texas, 11 catches for 104 yards against #17 Oklahoma State, 6 catches for 127 yards and 1 TD against Nevada and 9 catches for 120 yards and 1 TD against #20 Illinois.
Earlier this season, Coffman became the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision's (Div. I-A) alltime top pass-catching tight end in history. He has 240 career receptions, which has surpassed the previous FBS career record of 217 by Louisville's Ibn Green (1996-99).
Coffman will be formally presented with the Mackey Trophy at the Nassau County Sports Commission Annual Awards Dinner on April 27, 2009.
The John Mackey Award is given to the collegiate tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame Tight End John Mackey. The Nassau County Sports Commission is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that promotes sports and healthy lifestyle for Nassau County residents and is responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee.
For additional information, please visit www.johnmackeyaward.org or www.nassausports.org.
