Marco Darnell Coleman (born December 18, 1969) is an

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 ...

coach and former player who is the defensive line coach for

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

and former assistant defensive line coach for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). A former

defensive end, the fourteen-year veteran originally was drafted by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

in the

1992 NFL Draft The 1992 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992, at the Marriott Mar ...

as a first round pick (12th overall). He played at

Georgia Tech 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 ...

and won the 1990 college football national championship and went to one

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

before retiring from professional football after the 2005 season.

Early life

Coleman attended Patterson Cooperative High School in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

, where he was an all-area linebacker. As a senior, he totaled 84 tackles, 31 sacks, three forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and blocked an extra point. He lettered three times in

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 ...

and once in track.

Playing career

College

Coleman finished his career at

with the all-time leader with 28 sacks record, despite playing just three years. He earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors for his junior year, playing 11 games to record 67 tackles, 10 sacks, and one fumble recovery. He helped lead the school to a share of the national championship as a sophomore in 1990 by posting 81 tackles and 13 sacks. Coleman was named second-team All-American by The Sporting News and was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week after a 12-tackle, five-sack performance vs. Maryland. As a redshirt freshman, he started all season at outside linebacker and totaled 63 tackles and five sacks. While playing at Georgia Tech Coleman wore the number #95.

National Football League

Miami Dolphins

Selected by the

in the first round (12th pick) of the

, Coleman was named the NFL Rookie of the Year by Sports Illustrated and Defensive Rookie of the Year by Football News after finishing his first season with 84 tackles (61 solo), six sacks. and one forced fumble. His six sacks were the third-highest single-season total ever recorded by a Dolphins rookie. He started 15 out of 16 games and started the season at outside linebacker before moving to right defensive end for the last 12 games. He remained a member of the Dolphins for three more seasons. Coleman performed a cameo role opposite actor

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

in the 1994 movie '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective''.

San Diego Chargers

Coleman signed as an unrestricted free agent with the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

, on March 8, 1996. He played with the Chargers for three seasons from 1996 to 1998.

Washington Redskins

Coleman signed with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

as an unrestricted free agent June 3, 1999 and started all 16 regular season games at right end in his first season as a Redskin. He played with the Redskins from 1999-2001.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Coleman signed with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

on June 20, 2002 and started all 16 games at left defensive end in his first season as a member of the Jaguars. He only played one season as member of the Jaguars and was cut by the team after the 2002 season.

Philadelphia Eagles

Coleman signed with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

on September 6, 2003, replacing defensive end

Derrick Burgess Derrick Lee Burgess (born August 12, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders. He was sel ...

, who was placed on injured reserve. He played as a reserve in 13 regular-season games without a start. He only played the 2003 season as a member of the Eagles.

Denver Broncos

Coleman signed with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

as an unrestricted free agent on March 11, 2004 and played as a member of the Broncos for two seasons (2004–2005). He announced his retirement from professional football after the 2005 season.

Coaching career

Oakland Raiders

On April 5, 2018, the Raiders announced Coleman would be making his coaching debut as an assistant defensive line coach in

Jon Gruden Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is a former American professional football coach who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He held his first head coaching position with the Raiders franchise during thei ...

's new staff.

Georgia Tech

In January 2019, Coleman was announced as the Defensive Line Coach for Georgia Tech in Geoff Collins' new staff.

Michigan State

On February 9, 2022,

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

announced that they hired Coleman as the defensive line coach under head coach

Mel Tucker Melvin Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he has held since 2020. Previously, Tucker served as the head football coach ...

Georgia Tech (second stint)

On January 4, 2023, it was announced that Coleman was hired to be the defensive line coach for the

under head coach

Brent Key Donald Brent Key (born August 1, 1978) is an American college football coach and former player. Key is currently the head football coach at his alma mater, Georgia Tech. Playing career Key grew up in Trussville, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingha ...

Personal life

Coleman is married to Katrina and has three children, Kabrione, Kennedy, and Kenneth. Coleman completed his college degree at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL where he earned a B.A. in Business Administration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Marco 1969 births Living people American football defensive ends American football linebackers Denver Broncos players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Jacksonville Jaguars announcers Jacksonville Jaguars players Miami Dolphins players Philadelphia Eagles players San Diego Chargers players Washington Redskins players National Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Dayton, Ohio African-American players of American football National Football League announcers Oakland Raiders coaches 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople