Thomas James “Jake” McCoy, a 1964 Olympian who played hockey for the Gophers and coached Twin Cities high school and youth hockey for 60 years, died Friday. He was 79.
McCoy played three years at the U and was the blue-line partner of Lou Nanne. In one of those seasons, 1962-63, Nanne became the only WCHA defenseman to win the conference scoring title. The next year, McCoy played for the the U.S. Olympic team that finished fifth in Innsbruck, Austria, with Herb and Dave Brooks.
“He was a great teammate and an even better person,” Nanne said. “He was a very dependable defenseman who was both skilled offensively and defensively. … He had a very dry, funny sense of humor. Everyone that knew him loved him.”
McCoy spent most of his high school coaching career at Richfield but also coached at Minneapolis Washburn. A lifelong resident of south Minneapolis, he also coached boys and girls youth hockey for many years in Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington and Eden Prairie, his friend Gregg Wong said.
In 2008, McCoy was inducted into the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame, and in 2013 he received the Cliff Thompson Award from the Minnesota State High School League for his contributions to prep hockey.
He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Cathy; daughters Jeanne and Maggie; son Patrick; five grandchildren and countless friends.
