March 6, 2009

Lubbock, Texas - Jack Coffey, a name that is synonymous with Fordham Athletics, is among the 51 players and 18 coaches nominated this year for the College Baseball Hall of Fame, as announced by the College Baseball Foundation. Coffey is among nine candidates that are from the "vintage era" (pre-1947), as his nomination is for both his playing days and his time as a coach.

Coffey was born on January 28, 1888, three miles east of the Fordham campus and was a graduate of Fordham College, graduating with an A.B. degree in 1910 and later earning a law degree in 1923 from Fordham Law School. Following graduation, he underwent what was called "a prolonged series of peregrinations to points provincial" as a baseball player and manager.

He returned to Fordham in 1922 as a baseball coach and in 1926 became the Graduate Manager of Athletics (Athletic Director). He directed the baseball team to five Eastern titles while producing such outstanding major leaguers such as Hang Borowy, Babe Young and John Murphy. He is the all-time winnngest baseball coach in Fordham history with an amazing 1,095-461-11 record for his 44 years coaching. With that record, he won over 70% of the games he coached.

Coffey already has seats in the Helms Foundation Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted in 1954) and the Fordham University Athletics Hall of Fame (inducted in 1971).

The members of the 2009 College Baseball Hall of Fame class will be announced in early March, once all ballots have been tallied and the results verified. To keep up to date with College Baseball Hall of Fame, visit the College Baseball Foundation website at here.