Monte Coleman
Encyclopedia
Monte Leon Coleman is a former American football
linebacker
who played for sixteen seasons with the Washington Redskins
from 1979 to 1994. He is currently the head football coach for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
.
at the University of Central Arkansas
in Conway, then a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) school. He played safety his first three years before being converted to the linebacker
position as a senior. He set a school record with 22 interceptions and became the first player from Central Arkansas drafted in the NFL when the Redskins chose him in the 11th of the 12 rounds of the 1979 NFL Draft
with the 289th overall selection. (The draft now consists of seven rounds.)
Coleman played for the Redskins (and in the NFL) in parts of three decades: the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. On the all-time list of games played as a Redskin, Monte Coleman is currently second having played in 217 games, Darrell Green
is first. He is one of only three men to play at least 16 seasons with the franchise, along with quarterback Sammy Baugh
(16) and Green (20). Coleman’s 56.5 sack
s are the team's fourth-highest all-time total.
Coleman played in the Super Bowl
four times, winning three: Super Bowl XVII
, Super Bowl XVIII
, Super Bowl XXII
, and Super Bowl XXVI
.
He selected by Washingtonian Magazine
as the Washingtonian of the Year Award in 1996.
Coleman was inducted to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
In 2003, he was named one of the 70 Greatest Redskins
.
Won 2007 Elijah Pitts
Award (named after the Conway, Arkansas
, native and Green Bay Packer legend) for Conway athletic lifetime achievement.
with his wife Yvette and their three children. He was employed at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
as a linebacker coach and team chaplain. On November 26, 2007, Coleman was named Head Football Coach at the university, and is also making a living as a motivational speaker
.
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...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who played for sixteen seasons with the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
from 1979 to 1994. He is currently the head football coach for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a historically black university located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1873, it is the oldest HBCU and the second oldest public institution in the state of Arkansas . UAPB is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
.
Football career
Coleman played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Central Arkansas
University of Central Arkansas
The University of Central Arkansas is a state-run institution located in the city of Conway, the seat of Faulkner County, north of Little Rock and is the fourth largest university by enrollment in the U.S. state of Arkansas, and the third largest college system in the state. The school is most...
in Conway, then a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA) school. He played safety his first three years before being converted to the linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
position as a senior. He set a school record with 22 interceptions and became the first player from Central Arkansas drafted in the NFL when the Redskins chose him in the 11th of the 12 rounds of the 1979 NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
with the 289th overall selection. (The draft now consists of seven rounds.)
Coleman played for the Redskins (and in the NFL) in parts of three decades: the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. On the all-time list of games played as a Redskin, Monte Coleman is currently second having played in 217 games, Darrell Green
Darrell Green
Darrell Ray Green is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play football...
is first. He is one of only three men to play at least 16 seasons with the franchise, along with quarterback Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
(16) and Green (20). Coleman’s 56.5 sack
Sack
A sack is a bag, especially a large one for carrying or storing goods.Sack may also refer to:* Quarterback sack, a tackle of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage in American and Canadian football* Sack , an Irish band...
s are the team's fourth-highest all-time total.
Coleman played in the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
four times, winning three: Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII was an American football game played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the strike-shortened 1982 regular season...
, Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
, Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII was an American football game played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1987 regular season...
, and Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...
.
Honors
Monte Coleman made “the all Madden Team” in 1993.He selected by Washingtonian Magazine
Washingtonian (magazine)
Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...
as the Washingtonian of the Year Award in 1996.
Coleman was inducted to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
In 2003, he was named one of the 70 Greatest Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
.
Won 2007 Elijah Pitts
Elijah Pitts
Elijah Eugene Pitts was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Rams, and the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas.Pitts scored two touchdowns in the original Super Bowl...
Award (named after the Conway, Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas
Conway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
, native and Green Bay Packer legend) for Conway athletic lifetime achievement.
Life after football
Coleman currently lives in Pine Bluff, ArkansasPine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
with his wife Yvette and their three children. He was employed at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a historically black university located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1873, it is the oldest HBCU and the second oldest public institution in the state of Arkansas . UAPB is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
as a linebacker coach and team chaplain. On November 26, 2007, Coleman was named Head Football Coach at the university, and is also making a living as a motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
.
External links
- Coleman’s Playing Statistics http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=COLEMMON01
- Redskins Official Article http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=1499
- Motivational Speaker Biography http://www.brooksinternational.com/sports/Monte_Coleman_967.htm#Second