Player Bio
Arthur Coddington became a top three ranked player in 1995 and was the year-end number one player in 1996, 1997 and 2003.
With teammate Dave Lewis, he won at least one FPA World Championships title each year from 1996 to 2001 and tied the all-time record for consecutive world championship titles in the Co-op division at five in a row and the record for most Open Pairs titles at Seven (1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2014)
Coddington and Lewis won their first two world championship titles with rare drop-less routines. Coddington has also teamed with Lisa Hunrichs Silvey to win the 2000 and 2003 Mixed Pairs world championship title.
Coddington is known for combining acrobatic, high intensity moves with subtle technical tricks and precise passing. He was the first player to complete a triple spinning dive roll in a world championship final. More recently he has pushed the envelope in upside down freestyle play and a new technical direction called Saturn Rings.
Career Highlights
20 Major Freestyle Titles:
FPA Worlds Open Pairs Champion: 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2014
FPA Worlds Co-op Champion: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2013
FPA Worlds Mixed Pairs Champion: 2000, 2003
WFDF Champion: 1999, 2003, 2005
US Open Champion: 1998
How I Started
As was the case with Arthur’s long time partner Dave Lewis, his too is a story in two acts. When Arthur was a young lad, his father would take him to Frisbee tournaments near his native New York. He discovered that the sport came easily to him and he was able to quickly master many of the techniques. However, life led him in a different direction.
And as was the case with his future partner Dave Lewis, after an 8 year hiatus, they both arrived at the fabled Fraser Park Green in Santa Monica to jam within one week of each other. With the astronomical odds of that happening we can only surmise that this was a stroke of fate. And from there, they would make history.
Beginning in 1996, Arthur and Dave won at least one FPA Worlds title in 8 of the next 9 years.
With seven pairs and seven co-op FPA titles, Arthur ranks first for open wins at FPA Worlds. An additional two FPA mixed titles with Lisa Hunrichs brings his FPA tally to 16, ranking only behind Hunrichs (22) and Dave Schiller (20) in FPA Worlds history.
Arthur’s game features hyper accuracy. His sets to himself and to his partners are tightly controlled. His throws are spot on. He uses a powerful base with articulate footwork as the platform to showcase his considerable skills. He fully embraced Skids and turnovers. And he features a dynamic catching game. And as is also the case with Dave Lewis, each move features a perfectly realized consecutivity. Perhaps his greatest skill however is his ability to craft routines. Arthur was also an important figure in the development of Freestyle throughout Europe, serving as a Mentor to countless new players.
Some of Arthur’s off-field contributions to the sport of Freestyle also left a great impact on the sport. He developed the ranking system which is still in use today. He served as the FPA President, Competition Director and Board Member. He also worked for Wham-O, leading the World Junior Frisbee disc Contest and later the Frisbee Brand itself for the corporation.
FPA World Championships Records