Matt Coates (born July 15, 1991) is a

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

wide receiver. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

New Mexico Military Institute New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) is a public military junior college and high school in Roswell, New Mexico. Founded in 1891, NMMI operates under the auspices of the State of New Mexico, under a dedicated Board of Regents that reports to the G ...

. He also played junior football for the

Hamilton Hurricanes The Hamilton Hurricanes are a junior Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario. Founded in 1963, the team competes in the Ontario Football Conference of the Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is ...

of the

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...

(CJFL).

Early years

Coates played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Markham District High School Markham District High School (or MDHS) is a public high school in the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is one of 32 high schools in the York Region District School Board. Until the 2016–17 academic year, it was the only publicly funded sc ...

Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...

and was named a two-time Team M.V.P. The Marauders won the Metro Bowl his senior year. He received interest from several universities but decided to become an

electrician An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance ...

like his father. He played touch football with the Markham Mustangs in a recreational league while working on his

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...

in his father's business.

Junior football

Coates played for the

of the CJFL after receiving an offer from the Hurricanes' coach Jay Hayes, who he played flag football with, to play for them. He returned to the Hurricanes after spending one season playing college football in 2012. He recorded 630 yards on 36 receptions for the Hurricanes and set a new OFC record with 13 touchdowns in 2013. He was also named a CJFL All-Canadian in 2013.

College career

Coates played for the New Mexico Military Institute Broncos in 2012.

Professional career

Coates was signed to the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

's practice roster in September 2013. He later signed with the Tiger-Cats on January 29, 2014. He made his CFL debut on June 29, 2014 against the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

. Coates played in all eighteen regular season games and both playoff games, including the

102nd Grey Cup The 102nd Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played November 30, 2014, between the Canadian Football League West Division, West Division champion Calgary Stampeders and Canadian Football League East Division, East Division champion Hamilton Tig ...

, for the Tiger-Cats in 2014.

References

External links

Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coates, Matt Living people 1991 births Canadian football wide receivers American football wide receivers Canadian players of American football Canadian Junior Football League players New Mexico Military Institute Broncos football players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Sportspeople from Markham, Ontario