Eric Coy dominated field events in Canada from 1935 to 1954. Coy won his first Canadian Championship in Javelin in 1935 and added the Discus and Shot Put titles at the Canadian finals in 1938. That outstanding performance earned him a berth on the Canadian team at the 1938 British Empire Games in Australia, where he won the Gold Medal in Discus and a Silver Medal for the Shot Put. Coy was awarded the Norton H. Crowe Trophy as Canada's Outstanding Amateur Athlete of 1938 and was runner-up for the Lou Marsh Trophy given to both professional and amateur athletes.

Coy competed in snowshoe racing to complement his track and field training and set numerous Canadian, World, and International records from 1933-1940. Specializing in the 100 and 220 yard sprints, he was undefeated for a period three years in the 1930s.

In 1941, Coy joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and won several track and field honours during armed services competition. In this period, Coy was introduced to football and played for Lew Hayman's RCAF Hurricanes, and at the war's end was approached by both Hamilton and Montreal of the Canadian Football League. Coy signed with Montreal, but after only one Big Four game his football career ended and he returned to Winnipeg. Coy resumed his track and field career and at the Olympic trials, he established new Canadian records in the Discus and Shot Put. Named to the Canadian Team at the 1948 Olympics in London, Coy was appointed Captain of the Track and Field section.

Coy was an all-round athlete and competed in several sports: fastball, badminton, handball, squash, hockey, and football. He was selected to the Canadian Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1963 and is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.