Arthur Marvin "Tonto" Coleman (July 7, 1907 – October 18, 1973) was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at

Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Churches of Christ, Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Sout ...

from 1942 to 1949, compiling a record of 28–15–2. After working as an assistant football coach at the University of Florida and the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

, Coleman was appointed the commission of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1966, a position he filled until 1972.

Early life and education

Coleman was born in Phil Campbell, Alabama, but moved to Texas with his family when he was 12 years old. After graduating from high school, he attended

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...

, where he was a varsity letterman in three sports—football, basketball and baseball. Coleman graduated from Abilene Christian with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1928, and subsequently earned a master's degree in post-secondary education in 1949. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

Coaching career

Coleman was the sixth head football coach at

serving for five seasons, from 1942 to 1949 with a three-year interruption during World War II, and compiling a record of 28–15–2. In 1950, Florida Gators football head coach Bob Woodruff recruited Coleman to be his assistant at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football Program represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in the NCAA Division 1 Collegiate Competitors in the sport of American football. The Yellow Jackets college football team competes in the NCAA Div ...

head coach Bobby Dodd subsequently invited him to become part of the Georgia Tech coaching staff in Atlanta, Georgia. While coaching at Georgia Tech, he also was the assistant athletic director and the coach of Georgia Tech's freshmen football team.

SEC commissioner

Coleman became the fourth commissioner of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1966, serving until 1972.

Death

Coleman died of a heart attack on October 18, 1973, at his home in

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Tonto 1907 births 1973 deaths Abilene Christian Wildcats baseball players Abilene Christian Wildcats football coaches Abilene Christian Wildcats football players Abilene Christian Wildcats men's basketball players Florida Gators football coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches Southeastern Conference commissioners United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II People from Franklin County, Alabama Players of American football from Texas American men's basketball players Military personnel from Alabama