On a night in the Bronx, when two nationally ranked college football titans did battle at Yankee Stadium, Michael Coffey, founding partner of Tarrytown-based Coffey Modica LLP was on the sideline helping the Fighting Irish beat its longtime gridiron rival, West Point’s Army Black Knights.
Coffey was named to serve as Notre Dame’s honorary Equipment Manager for the game. Coffey was on the field at Yankee Stadium from early morning helping to oversee preparation of the Fighting Irish locker room and sidelines for the big rivalry, remaining until long after the teams departed the Bronx. Notre Dame won 49-14 in this nationally televised game.
In addition to his sideline duties, Coffey met United States four-star General Bryan P. Fenton, the 13th Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. He also met legendary quarterback Joe Montana, who led Notre Dame to the 1977 national title before piloting the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowls.
To say Coffey had a potential conflict of interest might be an understatement.
The father of a Notre Dame senior and with multiple partners at his Tarrytown-based firm who attended the University in South Bend, or its School of Law, Coffey also served for six years on the U.S. Military Academy Selection Committee for Annapolis, West Point, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, to which he was nominated by the U.S. Senate.
“This annual game is one of the greatest and longest lasting traditions in major college football. It was an overwhelming honor to be selected by Notre Dame to be their trusted, on the field representatives, and ensure everything went smoothly from kickoff to the final whistle,” said Coffey. “And given my years of service on the U.S. Military Academy Selection Committee, it could not have been more meaningful.”
Entering the game, Notre Dame was ranked No. 6 in the country and have since risen to No. 3, while Army entered Saturday night’s matchup ranked No. 18, carrying a record of 9-0, but fell back to No. 23. This was the Fighting Irish’s eleventh game in their Shamrock Series, resulting in an undefeated record for the series (11-0) which started in 2009.
Saturday’s game in the Bronx marked the 100th anniversary since Notre Dame’s 13-7 victory over Army back in 1924 at the Polo Grounds. That game featured ND’s legendary “Four Horsemen” making up the team’s backfield, which included: Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden. All are enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. The historic rivalry of Army vs. Notre Dame dates to 1913 and given the many alumni for both prestigious institutions from the Metropolitan region, the game is often played locally.
