Coffey’s leadership skills
and demand for excellence were evident during his time playing
football for UT. Coffey was named team captain his senior
year and received an award for maintaining the highest academic
average of anyone on the team during his four years at UT. After
graduating from UT in 1956, Coffey began coaching high school
football and did so for two years before he began a career coaching
college football.
Coffey became the assistant head coach at South-Eastern Louisiana
College in 1958. In 1963, Coffey returned to his alma mater
to work as the Defensive Line Coach under Doug Dickey. He
then moved to the University of Arkansas as the Defensive Coordinator,
and in 1971 Coffey became Head Coach at Virginia Tech University
and remained in this position until 1973.
Coffey began working in the transportation industry after leaving
coaching in 1973, and in 1981 he set out to create a new kind
of transportation company. His vision was to create a company
that would establish new standards of service through “partnering” with
companies to meet their transportation and logistics objectives.
The outcome of this dream was Nationwide Express, a transportation
company that “desires to be the best, to do whatever it
takes to ensure the satisfaction of our consumers.” The
success of Nationwide Express is a result of constantly analyzing
the latest trends in the transportation and logistics industry
and then responding to them effectively.
Coffey gives motivational speeches for young people several
times at year at high school graduations, church youth groups,
etc., and is also active in the church, civic groups and other
organizations.
Coffey is married with four children and nine grandchildren. |
