Antonio Coleman (born September 1, 1986) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
Defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
. He used to be with the
Sacramento Mountain Lions
The Sacramento Mountain Lions was a professional American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rect ...
of the United Football League. He used to be a member of the Optimist branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama. He attended
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...
. Coleman was named to the ''
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
'' All-
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
football first-team in 2008 and was considered one of the top
outside linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
prospects for the
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...
.
He has been a member of the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
.
College career
Coleman led Auburn with six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in 2008. He finished the season with 46 tackles (29 solo, 17 assists) and had a team-high 13 quarterback hurries, as well as a forced fumble and a pass break-up. He was named the SEC's Defensive Lineman of the Week following Auburn's 14-12 victory over Tennessee September 27 after completing four tackles including a sack and 1.6 tackles for loss.
Coleman was named to the
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
2009 preseason All-SEC first-team. Despite having a cast on his right hand the first 7 weeks of the season, Coleman still finished as the best pass rusher in the SEC, finishing the 2009 season ranked 1st in sacks and 2nd in tackles for loss.
Professional career
Buffalo Bills
Coleman was signed as an undrafted rookie
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by the Buffalo Bills on April 25, 2010. He was waived by the team on September 3, 2011.
New York Giants
On September 28, Coleman was signed to the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
' practice squad.
Return to Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills signed Coleman off of the Giants' practice squad on October 25 after a season-ending injury to
Shawne Merriman
Shawne DeAndre Merriman (born May 25, 1984), nicknamed "Lights Out", is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was sel ...
. He was released on December 17, 2011.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
On April 29, 2013, he signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
He signed with the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
of the CFL on May 31, 2014.
References
External links
Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Antonio
1986 births
Living people
Players of American football from Mobile, Alabama
American football linebackers
American football defensive ends
Auburn Tigers football players
Buffalo Bills players
New York Giants players
Sacramento Mountain Lions players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
Hamilton Tiger-Cats players