Marcus Coleman
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| Position: | Cornerback / Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | May 24, 1974 Dallas, Texas | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 209 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Lake Highlands (TX) | ||||||||
| College: | Texas Tech | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1996 / round: 5 / pick: 133 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Marcus Coleman (born May 24, 1974) is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League, who played for the New York Jets, Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Texas Tech University.
Early years
Coleman attended Lake Highlands High School, before moving on to Texas Tech University.
He started 36 straight games and as a senior he was the first to play the "Raider position" (combination of outside linebacker-strong safety). He set the school and Southwest Conference career record with four interception returns for touchdowns and also left with the school record for blocked kicks in a season (3).
In 2008, he was named to the All-Time Texas Tech football team. In 2010, he was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Fame.
Professional career
New York Jets
Coleman was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round (133rd overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft and started 4 games as a rookie. In 1997, he began to have issues with new head coach Bill Parcells, who moved him from safety to cornerback. Parcells called him "The Wizard", because of inconsistency and his problems understanding the defensive scheme.[1]
He had a break-out year in 1999, becoming a starter at right cornerback and leading the team with 6 interceptions (tied for sixth in the NFL). The next year he registered 18 passes defensed (led the team) and 4 interceptions (second on the team), including a 98-yard pick-six against the Miami Dolphins, which at the time was the second-longest interception return in franchise history.
Houston Texans
Coleman was selected by the Houston Texans in the 2002 NFL Expansion Draft and was named the starter at right cornerback. The next year he led the team with 7 interceptions, which was a franchise record and tied him for fourth in the NFL.
In 2004, he was moved to free safety after the team drafted Dunta Robinson. He holds the Texans record for the longest interception return, with a 102-yard pick-six recorded against the Kansas City Chiefs.[2] On November 21, 2004, he suffered a sprained right shoulder against the Green Bay Packers and although he was able to play in the next two games, he was eventually placed on the injured reserve list, finishing with 80 tackles, 2 interceptions and 8 passes defensed.
The next year, he was deactivated for the game against the Baltimore Ravens for missing a walkthrough and was benched for the last 4 games.[3] He posted 11 starts, 66 tackles, one interception and 3 passes defensed.[4] He was released on February 28, 2006, in a salary-cap move.
Dallas Cowboys
Coleman was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent on April 18, 2006, reuniting him with his former Jets head coach Bill Parcells. He was suspended by the league for the first four games, because of a violation of the substance-abuse policy.[5] He was cut on November 11. He finished his career with 484 tackles, 25 interceptions, 119 passes defensed and 2 touchdowns.
References
- ^ http://articles.courant.com/1998-07-31/sports/9807310323_1_coleman-s-case-marcus-coleman-benched
- ^ "Reed rumbles 108 yards for NFL record | Longest interception returns by team". Pro Football Hall of Fame. November 24, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2251765
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2642110
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2630373