Tommy Joe Coffey's career spanned 14 seasons in the CFL from 1959 to 1973 with Edmonton, Hamilton and Toronto.  Coffey's played in the years that the CFL was transitioning from a more run orientated game with players going both ways to the more modern pass orientated game with specialized offensive and defensive players.  Coffey's rookie season in Edmonton in 1959 typified the old style as he caught 14 passes offensively while also making 3 interceptions defensively.   The premium on versatility due to smaller rosters also showed up in that Coffey also did some of the placekicking and kickoffs for Edmonton that year.  Coffey upped his receiving total to 27 catches in 1960 while adding another interception.  Coffey didn't play in 1961, but returned to Edmonton in 1962 when his career really started to take off.  Coffey caught 65 passes for 951 yards and his 129 points led the CFL as he took over the placekicking on a regular basis.  Coffey earned his first All-Canadian honour in 1962 which was the first year they were awarded.  It was the first of 7 All-Canadian honours for the outstanding receiver (1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1970).  Coffey played four more seasons in Edmonton and those were the prime of his career as he had 61, 81, 81 and 60 receptions in those four years.  In three of those years, Coffey passed the magical 1000 yard mark in receiving.  Coffey was traded to Hamilton for 1967 and ended up playing six seasons for the Tiger-Cats from 1967 to 1972.  HIs receiving numbers fell a bit in the less pass minded offense of Hamilton in his first two years as he had 42 and 47 receptions (in a 14 game schedule though), but he put up 70 catches and another thousand yard season in 1969.  Coffey also took over the placekicking duties with Hamilton and for four season from 1967 to 1970 has over 100 points, including a career high of 148 in 1970.  The early 1970s saw the rise of the dedicated placekickers and Coffey turned over the placekicking duties to Ian Sunter.  Coffey playd his final season in 1973 with the Toronto Argos.  Tommy Joe Coffey was named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Games played stats were not kept in the West until 1964.