Ralph Donnell Coleman (born August 31, 1950) is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

North Carolina A&T University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...

. Coleman is currently serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of a nightclub bouncer.

Early years

Coleman attended Carver High School, where he was a part of the last graduating class, before the school merged with Spartanburg High School. He was a three-sport athlete (

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, basketball and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

). In 1967, as a two-way player ( linebacker and

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

), he helped his football team win a state championship. He accepted a football scholarship from

to play

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He was converted to linebacker and became a four-year starter. In 1968, he was a part of a team that finished the season 8–1 overall (6–1 in conference play) and won the black college football national championship.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Coleman was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the eighth round (208th overall) of the

1972 NFL draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Player selections Round one Round two ...

. The Cowboys saw great potential and he became the first African-American linebacker to make the team in franchise history. He started the year in the taxi squad, before being promoted to the active roster after Chuck Howley was injured. He played mainly on special teams, including the playoffs. After not agreeing with his playing time and contract numbers, he forced the team to trade him to the Houston Oilers in exchange for a conditional draft pick (not exercised) on July 13,

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

Houston Oilers

Coleman was waived by the Houston Oilers before the start of the 1973 season. In March 1974, he was selected by the Birmingham Americans in the 24th round (282nd overall) of the WFL Pro Draft.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 23,

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent. He was released on July 12.

Personal life

In 1998, he was first convicted of the murder of a Greenville nightclub bouncer and sentenced to life in prison. The state Supreme Court overturned that verdict and granted Coleman a new trial. In February 1990, the jury failed to reach a verdict in his second trial. In November 1990, he was convicted of murder in his third trial. Coleman is serving his life sentence for murder in a South Carolina state prison. He was a suspect in several other homicides in the state but not charged. In 1993, he appeared in a film produced by the U.S. Department of Justice entitled "Hard Choices: Inside Looking Out". The film presents the story of two fictional teenagers confronted by the temptation of drug use, who are advised by two former professional athletes (Coleman and

Alex English Alexander English (born January 5, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and businessman. A South Carolina native, English played college basketball at the University of South Carolina. He was drafted in the second ...

References

External links

Of Making Cowboys Ralph Coleman Confident
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Ralph 1950 births Living people Players of American football from Columbia, South Carolina American football linebackers North Carolina A&T Aggies football players Dallas Cowboys players American people convicted of murder American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment