As captain of the Pompano Beach High School swim team, Andrew Coffey congratulated his teammates in victory and was always the first to encourage them, especially after a loss, a former coach said.
Now, the school’s Athletics Booster Club is planning an event next week to honor Andrew Coffey, the Florida State University student from Lighthouse Point who died earlier this month after an off-campus party.
“He’s just a part of our community, a huge part,” said Kathy Fish, a Pompano Beach High School counselor. “He was the type of person you wanted to know. Whether you were a kid or an adult, he just had that personality that drew you in.”
The club, which helps support high school sports, will hold the event at Pompano Beach High School on Nov. 25, beginning at 1 p.m. in the school’s auditorium, at 600 NE 13th Ave.
Coffey graduated from Pompano Beach High School in 2015.
Before Andrew Coffey left to pursue a degree in civil engineering at Florida State University, he was a swimmer, varsity football player and a member of the the junior ROTC program, Fish said.
When Coffey first joined the swim team his freshman year, he wasn’t the best, but he cracked jokes and had a knack for making others feel included, said Ashley Herbert, his swim coach from 2011 to 2014.
With practice, he became one of the team’s stars, Herbert said.
“He’s always been kind of a unique individual,” she said. “He started off as kind of our team goofball, but by his senior year and even a little bit before, he grew into one of the leaders on the team.”
Coffey embraced newcomers and reassured teammates after a difficult race, Herbert said. He devised cheers with his friends and taught the dance moves to underclassmen, she said.
“He was always willing to help,” said Fish. “He was caring, understanding and supportive.”
Coffey, 20, died Nov. 3 after an off-campus party that more than 50 people attended. Police say alcohol may have led to his death.
An autopsy was completed but no results were disclosed, because the investigation remains open and toxicology tests aren’t completed.
Coffey had been trying to become a full member of the FSU chapter of Pi Kappa Phi.
Many who knew him were devastated to hear about his death, but the community is trying to do whatever it can to help Coffey’s family, including preparing meals for them, Fish said.
FSU President John Thrasher, in the immediate aftermath of Coffey’s death, suspended the activities of the university’s 54 fraternities and sororities and banned alcohol at student events, including those run by more than 700 organizations outside the Greek community.
Earlier this week, Coffey’s family wrote a letter supporting Thrasher’s decision.
“As our family grieves, it is our every hope that Andrew’s memory never fades away and that his unnecessary passing will be the catalyst for communication and positive change in a practice that is obviously broken,” Coffey’s family wrote.
The letter, signed by Tom, Sandy and Alison Coffey, specifically thanked Thrasher for “his genuine desire and dedication to find a solution to this pervasive problem.”