American football player Derrick Coleman has challenged all odds to get to where he is in his profession. Diagnosed as having a hearing problem when he was a little older than the toddler, this NFL player has indeed shown that there are no limits to success if you really aimed at him.
Let’s take a look at his biography, early career and all other interesting details about this player.
Derrick Coleman bio
Derrick Coleman was born with full name Derrick Lamont Coleman Jr. on October 18, 1990 in West Los Angeles California, United States of America. When he was three years old, a pediatric hearing specialist diagnosed him with hearing loss. He told his parents that little Derrick was going deaf in his left ear, stating that he would go completely deaf because of genetics. Derrick’s parents did not have a specific hearing gene built in, which meant that any child they created together would likely have a hearing defect. Unfortunately, he fell victim to this genetic disease. Due to the situation,
Derrick’s football career continued to blossom as he left elementary school and enrolled at Troy High School, in Fullerton, California. He picked up team most valuable player and major league first-team honors his senior year. He also broke the season record by scoring 38 touchdowns and 232. Additionally, ESPN named him the No. 2 running back in the nation.
His college years were as exciting on the classified as his high school days. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a degree in political science, Derrick Coleman was able to play football with the help of a headgear so as not to injure him further. ears. During his college career, he was able to win the Outstanding Special Teams Player awarded by UCLA’s Tommy Prothro Award 3 times. He also won the Paul I Wellman Memorial Coaching Staff Award for All Around-Excellence in his senior year.
Despite his successful college football career, Derrick was not entered into the National Football League after his graduation in 2012; he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an untraded free agent, but was waived the same year. However, all hope has not been lost since the Seattle Seahawks signed him in December 2012. This officially made Derrick Coleman the third deaf man to play in the NFL; the other two being Bonnie Sloan in 1973 and Kenny Walker in 1991. He recorded his first touchdown in the game against New Orleans Saints and earned a spot on the Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII championship team.
The backback’s next team was the Atlanta Falcons with whom he signed on March 21, 2017 recording his game-winning match against the Chicago Bears on September 10, 2017 in a game that ended with 23-17 pts. Currently, he is signed with the Arizona Cardinals after completing all necessary paperwork for the May 9, 2018 transfer.
Family – Who are his parents?
The fullback is the son of Derrick Coleman Snr. and May Evans who played a major role in her life. In his early days, Derrick attributes his confidence and high self-esteem to his parents who never give up on him. In grade 7, Derrick took the brave step of starting to play football, and although his mother was skeptical of his new hobby, his father encouraged him to play. After being cleared to play by his family doctor, Derrick became the new star on the pitch as he reportedly played harder and tackled more than his buddies.
Derrick’s mother, May, revealed in an interview that the whole world will view your child the same as you and that all children should be given the same opportunities they gave Derrick.
Height, Weight and Other Facts
Derrick Coleman is a generously built dark chocolate hunk with a height of 1.83m and a weight of 106kg who weighs around 233lbs.
In 2014, Derrick was used in a commercial for Duracell batteries and the commercial turned out to be a huge hit as it was widely talked about nationally. He even caught the attention of twins Riley and Erin, who wrote him a letter of encouragement, as they too were having similar struggles as the fullback. Touched by their act of kindness, Derrick, in conjunction with Duracell, invited his family to watch Super Bowl XLVIII Live on February 2, 2014.
It is also interesting to know that the backback is of Christian faith and a self-motivated man in addition to his optimistic nature. Derrick is said to believe he has no limits, as he once stated that whenever someone said he couldn’t do something, he told them to watch it and he proved to the world that there was no excuse to achieve greatness.