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The greatest football player to come out of Watertown never played a game of football at Watertown High. Reason? Simple mathematics Watertown High was about 2 years removed from having its first gridiron team when this lad was ready to play. So Ed Coon solved that little problem by getting his high school education at White Plains N.Y. High School. Ed graduated from St. John's Parochial School in Watertown and then went to live with a relative in White Plains where he was born. It was as sure as green apples that Coon would pick up the nickname of Ty and the sub-title proved more than adequate, for his fine play ‘at White Plains, where he played four years under coach Len Watters and later at North Carolina State where he was to earn All-American honors. I was a year out of high school at the time and was at the height of my scrapbook hey-dey. 1939 was a rough year folks. Jobs were scarce and the time was being referred to as the second depression, but there was always flour in the house and,with a little water added, I made enough paste to fill a lot of scrapbooks. Ty Coon was making headlines that year his junior one at North Carolina State, and I pasted up most of the accolades that described the Watertown athlete’s great play with the Wolfpack. I discovered one of the books the other rainy day and bought a recollection of some of Ty’s feats might be of interest to area football fans and possibly might serve as an inspiration to some present Watertown High football players who will go on to play college ball. From the scrapbook Coaches, college athletic officials and members of the New York city press dealt in Superlatives a week ago Saturday (Nov. 7, 1938) as they huddle in the club room of Yankee Stadium after the N.C. State-Manhattan College football game. Herman Hickman, State's rotund line coach, was paying a tribute to Ed Coon, Wolfpack tackle who had come back to his native New York to play a great game of football. Said Hickman. “I saw today the greatest exhibition of line play I have seen in all my years of football experience. Coon did everything right. I have seen high school lineman for years and college and professionals for years, but Coon’s exhibition eclipsed them all.” That statement carried special significance, for Seven years ago those same New York scribes were saying and writing the same thing about Herman Hickman, who had come north with the University of Tennessee, to play against NYU. Hickman of course was destined to become a famous head coach at Yale and later a television star. Tom Meaney of the New York World Telegram said, “Hickman’s tribute is about the finest that could be paid soon. Hickman was the best lineman we had ever seen in New York and being named an All- American naturally followed. Coon is one player who should be All-American. He is the best college lineman I have seen this year and that includes those on Notre Dame, Fordham and Army ,as well as several others.” Herb Kopf, coach of Manhattan said. ‘‘We instructed five different men how to play him and they still couldn't stop him.” Bud Rennie of the Herald Tribune wrote that Coon’s tackling was the most notable thing in the ballgame, except the decisive -field goal by a player who played only one play in the game to give Manhattan a 3-0 win. North Carolina lost the game, which makes the description of Ty's play all the more effective. Such tributes are usually reserved for players on winning teams. There were other games for Ed, but playing at Yankee Stadium before the New York press, the Manhattan performance perhaps awarded him the most publicity - at least here in the East. Following that 1938 season here are a few of the rewards that came the big fellow's way. He was named to the Collier's All-American, the All- Conference team picked by the Associated Press which included such names as North Carolinia’s George Stirnweiss of New York Yankee fame at quarterback and Duke's famous All-American, Eric Tipton, who chose a professional baseball career over football. Tipton played seven years with the old Philadelphia A’s and Cincinnati Reds (1939-45) also the second All-American teams of the New York World Telegram and New York Sun and honorable mention and places on. All American selected squads throughout the nation. Lew Burton of the NY Journal American said that Ed Coon was the most sought after lineman by the pro scouts in the country. Coon did sign and played a year with the NFL Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940. The quarterback on that team was Duke’s famous All-American, Ace Parker. Professional football didn’t have the lure or the financial rewards back in those days that it offers today. Most of the pros played on a part-time basis. Ed Coon returned to Watertown to assist in running the family business, the Edward H. Coon Co., a Watertown landmark for many years. It has had its rewards. Maybe Ty doesn’t know it, but he is the only player with a local background to ever play in the major leagues, be it football, basketball or baseball. And believe me, this is bound to bring up the often-asked question, Did Al Jarlett ever pitch in the majors? The answer is no Jarlett, the former Watertown High and Holy Cross great. Signed by the Boston Red Sox and later by Pittsburgh had a long minor league career but the war directly hurt his major league shot. Ed Coon is the uncle of Kevin, Palmer, one of Watertown High’s outstanding tackles and of Mike who played before Kevin. Could it be that football ability is hereditary?
Newspaper Details
Watertown Town Times
Watertown, Connecticut, US
Thu, Nov 26, 1970
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Erin C.
USA 18 Jun 2026
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