Inductees

First and foremost, Chase Coffman thanks his dad for the hard work and leadership skills that propelled his rise to NCAA All-American and National Football League player.

“Growing up, I was a hot-head,” Coffman said, laughing. His dad, Paul, was in the NFL 11 seasons, eight with the Green Bay Packers. “I would get after my teammates. Obviously that wasn’t the right thing to do. He helped mold me into a leader in that sense. Leading by example is the big thing he taught me.”

If anyone wants to follow his lead, it’d certainly be OK, because Coffman landed in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame with the Class of 2019.

A former standout at Raymore-Peculiar High School, Coffman became the most prolific pass-catching tight end in the history of University of Missouri football from 2005 to 2008.

As a senior, he earned consensus First Team All-American honors and received the John Mackey Award, given to the country’s best tight end, making Coffman the first Tiger ever to win a national individual award specific to a position. That season, he caught 90 passes for 987 yards and 10 touchdowns despite missing two games due to injury.

After his final college game, he was the Tigers’ career leader in catches (247) and touchdown catches (30), all while finishing with 2,659 yards receiving – third-most in program history. At the time, his 247 career receptions stood as the NCAA career record for tight ends.

Coffman also was a Freshman All-American and a three-time All-Big 12 conference selection, including first team honors in 2006 and 2008.

In the 2009 National Football League Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals took Coffman with the 98^th overall selection. He played eight seasons in the NFL with the Bengals, Tampa Bay Bucanneers, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts.

And all of this followed a tremendous prep career at Raymore-Peculiar, as Coffman was a three-time All-State selection (2002, 2003, 2004) and helped lead the team to an undefeated, Class 5 state championship his senior season.

Additionally, he won the 2004 Thomas A. Simone Award for most outstanding high school football player in Kansas City.

During his senior year, Coffman had narrowed his college choices to Mizzou, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas State, and chose Mizzou at a time when the Tigers had finished 5-6 with a restless fanbase wanting more from coach Gary Pinkel (MSHOF 2016).

Little did anyone know that Pinkel was about to take Mizzou to incredible heights, and Coffman was a big reason why.

“Andy Hill (MSHOF 2014) and Bruce Walker sold me on the idea of being a stand-up tight end,” Coffman said. “With someone switching from receiver, it was interesting. You’re going to catch a lot of passes, and I did.”

In 2005, he and Martin Rucker (MSHOF 2017) made for a terrific tight end tandem. In fact, Coffman showed his prowess in the season-opener, played against Arkansas State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Coffman’s hometown. His first catch was a 14-yarder from Brad Smith (MSHOF 2017).

“I thought, ‘All right, I’ve the first one out of the way,” Coffman said.

Mizzou returned to Arrowhead in 2007 with the Big 12 Conference North title on the line and beat No. 2 Kansas, rising to No. 1 in the Bowl Championship Series standings.

Coffman credits Walker for enhancing his collegiate success.

“He did a good job of coaching and not letting me get too high or too low,” Coffman said.

In the NFL, Coffman hung in there from 2010 through 2016 and endured a series of challenges. He was targeted (thrown to) only 33 times. That helps explain why he had only 177 yards receiving on 18 catches in 39 games.

Still, he cannot help but thank Falcons tight end coach Chris Scelfo and Titans coach Mike Mularkey for believing in him.

Coffman’s first TD catch in the NFL came six years into this pro career, on a Monday night Football game for the Titans against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“My NFL career wasn’t what it could have been,” Coffman said, “but I believe God has a plan for my life that I didn’t understand at the time.”

Coffman is now working on becoming a financial adviser and raising daughter Elsie and son Elijah with Stacy, his wife and high school sweetheart.

“She’s been right there all through high school, college and the NFL,” Coffman said. “I was cut a few times, and she has been so supportive and helpful – a wife I couldn’t have done it without.”