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

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach and former player who is the defensive line coach for

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

and former assistant defensive line coach for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(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. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

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 M ...

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

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 (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

before retiring from professional football after the 2005 season.

Early life

Coleman attended Patterson Cooperative High School in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, 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, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

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 in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

, 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

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 to 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

on September 6, 2003, replacing defensive end Derrick Burgess, 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 team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

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 an American football coach and media personality currently employed by Barstool Sports. After beginning his coaching career in the college ranks and working as a position coach and as an offensive co ...

'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 or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

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

Mel Tucker Melvin Gene Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Michigan State University from 2020 to 2023. Tucker was the interim head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the Na ...

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.

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 NFL announcers Oakland Raiders coaches 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen