Professional Basketball Player. For nine seasons (1949 to 1958), he played at the forward and center positions in the National Basketball Association with the Rochester Royals and St. Louis Hawks. He played collegiate basketball at Duke University for a brief period, prior to serving with the United States Navy during World War II. Upon his return home, he resumed his collegiate athletics at the University of Louisville. Selected by Rochester during the 2nd round of the 1949 BAA Draft (which became the NBA a few months later), he appeared in 633 career regular season games. Coleman was a pivotal player on the Royals' 1951 NBA Championship squad and was a veteran contributor to the St. Louis Hawks world championship team in 1958. Individually, he achieved NBA All-Star status in 1955 and yielded a career-high 957 points the following season (1955-1956). He compiled 6,721 points during the course of his career. After retiring from basketball, he operated a lumber company in his native Kentucky. He is a member of the University of Louisville Athletics Hall of Fame.
Professional Basketball Player. For nine seasons (1949 to 1958), he played at the forward and center positions in the National Basketball Association with the Rochester Royals and St. Louis Hawks. He played collegiate basketball at Duke University for a brief period, prior to serving with the United States Navy during World War II. Upon his return home, he resumed his collegiate athletics at the University of Louisville. Selected by Rochester during the 2nd round of the 1949 BAA Draft (which became the NBA a few months later), he appeared in 633 career regular season games. Coleman was a pivotal player on the Royals' 1951 NBA Championship squad and was a veteran contributor to the St. Louis Hawks world championship team in 1958. Individually, he achieved NBA All-Star status in 1955 and yielded a career-high 957 points the following season (1955-1956). He compiled 6,721 points during the course of his career. After retiring from basketball, he operated a lumber company in his native Kentucky. He is a member of the University of Louisville Athletics Hall of Fame.
Bio by: C.S.
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