At the 1938 Empire Games he won the gold medal in the discus throw and the silver medal in the shot put. At the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games he finished ninth in the shot put, aged 39.[1]
After retirement from competition, he remained active as a coach in track and field, ice hockey and wrestling, and following his death in 1985 the "Eric E. Coy Memorial Trophy" was donated by his widow, Helen, to be awarded each year to Canada's leading athlete in the four throwing events.[2] The winner for 2006 was the Commonwealth Games hammer silver-medallist and national record-breaker, Jim Steacy.
He has an arena in Winnipeg named after him.[3] He was inducted to the Canadian Track and Field Hall of Fame (1963), Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (1980).[4]