Coleman was born in Boynton Beach, Florida, a suburb of Miami, and played scholastically at nearby Lake Worth High School.
[1] He played collegiately for the Vanderbilt Commodores,[2] and, as a senior, was selected as a first-team All-American by Gannett News Service (GNS).
[4][5] He sat out the 1984 NFL season because of a contract dispute,[6][7] instead signing a deal with the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League and completing his degree at Vanderbilt.
[8] Early in the 1985 season, however, Coleman joined the Colts after the club bought out his contract with Memphis.
[10] Coleman was traded to the Chargers for an undisclosed draft pick on July 9, 1988,[11] playing 16 games in 1988 and one in 1989[10] before being waived on September 12, 1989.