On a historic night in the Bronx, when two nationally ranked college football titans did battle at Yankee Stadium, one of the Northeast region’s foremost insurance defense litigation attorneys was on the sideline helping the Fighting Irish beat its longtime gridiron rival, West Point’s Army Black Knights.
Michael Coffey, founding partner of Tarrytown-based Coffey Modica LLP, a growing defense litigation firm, 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 has since risen to No. 3, while Army entered the matchup ranked No. 18, carrying a record of 9-0, but fell back to No. 23. This was the Fighting Irish’s 11th game in their Shamrock Series, resulting in an undefeated record for the series (11-0), which started in 2009.
Coffey Modica represents major insurers and defendants in high-profile, high- exposure matters across many disciplines and industries around the country. Known for being aggressive trial attorneys and litigators, the firm resolves matters on behalf of its clients with the most cost-effective resolutions aligned with their short- and long-term business goals and culture. Headquartered in Tarrytown, New York, it maintains offices in Lower Manhattan, Long Island, Buffalo, Jersey City, with a new office opening in Westport, Connecticut in December.
