James Edward Coode (October 22, 1951 – June 17, 1987) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

and

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

player. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

from 1970 to 1973 and professional football for the

Detroit Wheels The Detroit Wheels were an American football team, a charter member of the defunct World Football League. Founding Soon after Gary Davidson announced the WFL's formation in October 1973, he was approached by a man named Bud Hucul about putting ...

(two games in 1974) and the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

(1974–1980). He was diagnosed with

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

(ALS) in 1979 and died in 1987.

University of Michigan

A native of

Mayfield Heights, Ohio Mayfield Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,351 at the 2020 census. An eastern suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. History Mayfield Heights was initially built up ...

, Coode enrolled at the

in 1969 and played

as an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for

Bo Schembechler Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler Jr. ( ; April 1, 1929 – November 17, 2006) was an American college football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the Univers ...

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...

teams from 1970 to 1973. As a junior, he started every game at left tackle for the

1972 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1972 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1972 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled ...

that compiled a 10–1 record and was ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll. As a senior, he started nine games at right tackle for the undefeated

1973 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1973 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1973 Big Ten Conference football season. In his fifth year as Michigan's head coach, Bo Schembechler led the team to a 10–0–1 record. It was Michigan's ...

that compiled a 10–0–1 record and was ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll.

Professional football

Coode began his professional football career in 1974 with the

of the

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 in sports, 1974 and most of its second in 1975 in sports, 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a w ...

(WFL). He left the Wheels after playing two games when the team was unable to pay its players. After leaving the WFL, Coode joined the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) at the end of September 1974. played professional football for seven seasons in the

(CFL) as an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

for the

. He was a part of the Rough Riders'

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

victory in 1976. He won the

CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award The Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually awarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Leo Dandurand Trophy winner from the East Division, and the DeMarco-Becket Memo ...

in 1978 and the

Tom Pate Memorial Award Tom Pate Memorial Award, selected annually by the Canadian Football League Players' Association, is awarded to a player with outstanding sportsmanship and someone who has made a significant contribution to his team, his community and Association ...

for community service in 1980. His jersey (#60) has been retired by the Rough Riders, and re-retired by the REDBLACKS. Coode was diagnosed with

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

in 1979 and appeared in four games for the Rough Riders in 1980 after the diagnosis.

Family and later years

Coode was married to Lisa Coode, and they had a son, Jamie. Coode continued to live in Ottawa after retiring from football. A tribute dinner for Coode in May 1983 drew 1,200 persons.

spoke at the tribute. By December 1986, Coode's weight had dropped from 275 pounds to 130 pounds. Coode died at a hospital on June 17, 1987.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coode, Jim 1951 births 1987 deaths American football offensive tackles Canadian football offensive linemen Detroit Wheels players Michigan Wolverines football players Ottawa Rough Riders players People from Mayfield Heights, Ohio Players of American football from Cuyahoga County, Ohio Players of Canadian football from Ohio Neurological disease deaths in Ontario Deaths from motor neuron disease in Canada