Name: Charlie Coffey
Alma Mater: University of Tennessee
Sport: Football
Position: Offensive Guard, Defensive Tackle
Years Played: 1952-1955
Highlights: Captain, Highest Grade Average over 4 years on UT squad
Business: Nationwide Express, Inc., Transportation Services |
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.