Coffman was especially known for his work on accounting history: its definition, relevance, and methodology.
[1][2] Coffman was born and raised in West Point, Virginia, where his father worked at the local paper mill.
He returned to college in 1962, to the Virginia Commonwealth University, where he obtained his BA in 1965 and his MA in 1967.
[3] Coffman started his academic career at the Virginia Commonwealth University from 1966 to 1968.
After his Ph.D. graduation he returned and taught accounting at its VCU School of Business, for 44 years.