Nov. 24, 2008
COLUMBIA, Mo. -
University of Missouri senior tight end Chase Coffman (Peculiar, Mo.) has been named a finalist for the 2008 John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation’s top tight end. The award, administered by the Nassau County Sports Commission (NCSC), will go to a Big 12 Conference tight end this year, as the other two finalists along with Coffman are Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma and Brandon Pettigrew of Oklahoma State.
Coffman has been one of the top players in college football all season long, and despite missing the last two games due to a foot injury suffered Nov. 1st at Baylor, he still ranks among the top statistical tight ends. In nine games, Coffman has caught 73 passes for 819 yards and seven touchdowns. A comparison of the other finalists’ stats is listed below.
| Player, School |
(Year) |
GP |
Rec. |
RPG |
Yards |
YPG |
Avg. |
TDs |
| Chase Coffman, MIZZOU |
Sr. |
9 |
73 |
8.11 |
819 |
91.0 |
11.2 |
7 |
| Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma |
Jr. |
11 |
41 |
3.73 |
648 |
58.9 |
15.8 |
10 |
| Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State |
Sr. |
8 |
35 |
4.38 |
383 |
47.9 |
10.9 |
0 |
Coffman is expected to play in MU’s next game, set for Nov. 29th against Kansas. His top receiving games 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 230 career receptions, which has surpassed the previous FBS career record of 217 by Louisville’s Ibn Green (1996-99).
The 2008 recipient of “The Mackey” will be announced on December 11, 2008 at the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show live on ESPN and presented 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.
