Edmund H. Coady was an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player and a starting quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 for the University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...

, holding the distinction of having presided over the first two wins in Notre Dame football history.

Following the first three games ever played by the team, quarterback Joe Cusack

Joe Cusack

Joseph E. Cusack was an American football player, and an officer in the United States Army.Cusack was born into a military family of Irish immigrants in New York City, but as an infant was moved to Fort Stockton, Texas and later to Fort Niobrara, Nebraska...

 moved to left halfback

Running back

A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...

 in 1888, and Ed Coady assumed the position. His first start would also be the first victory for the program—a 20-0 victory over Harvard Prep Chicago, who had previously been deemed champions of the state of Illinois. By virtue of their win, Notre Dame declared themselves champions of both Illinois and Indiana.

In 1889, Coady's team played their first true away game at Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats football

The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...

 and won 9-0. During the game, Coady performed what was likely the team's first play-action fake: He simulated a handoff to end Steve Fleming, and hid the ball as he ran into the endzone for a touchdown

Touchdown

A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...

.

Ed was one of three Coady brothers to play for Notre Dame. His brother Tom Coady was the backup quarterback in 1888, and then Pat Coady

Pat Coady

Patrick H. Coady was an American football player and a starting quarterback for the University of Notre Dame....

would succeed his brothers as the starting quarterback in 1892.