Leonard S. Coleman Jr. (born February 17, 1949) is an American politician and executive who served as the last president of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

. He held the office from 1994 until 1999 when it was eliminated by

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. He is currently on the Board of Directors of

H. J. Heinz Company The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 186 ...

, the

Omnicom Group Omnicom Group Inc. is an American global media, marketing and corporate communications holding company, headquartered in New York City. Omnicom's branded networks and specialty firms provide services in four disciplines: advertising, customer r ...

Cendant Corporation Cendant Corporation was an American provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, it broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses. Although it was based in New Yo ...

Aramark Aramark is an American Foodservice, food service and Facility management, facilities services provider to clients in areas including education, prisons, healthcare, business, and leisure. It operates in North America (United States and Canada) a ...

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

and

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...

. He received a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

from the

Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first ...

and a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

from the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Early life and education

Born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

on February 17, 1949, Coleman was raised in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

and attended Montclair High School, where he played baseball and football, earning a selection as a New Jersey All-American halfback during his senior year. He played both sports at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and became the first black athlete to score a touchdown for the

Princeton Tigers football The Princeton Tigers football program represents Princeton University and competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I Football Championship, Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member ...

team but joined two other black players in filing charges that the university had discriminated against them in their opportunities to fairly participate on the football team based on their race, leading to the dismissal of all three players from the team. Coleman graduated from Princeton University in 1971 with a degree in history, then attended Harvard University, where he earned both a master's degree in public administration (MPA) and a master's degree in education and social policy.

Career

A resident of

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey Atlantic Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,414, an increase of 29 (+0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 4,38 ...

, Coleman served as commissioner of the

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA provides "administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community develop ...

until July 15, 1988, when he left office to enter private industry and was succeeded by Anthony M. Villane. He had also served as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Energy, and he was chairman of the

Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC; formerly the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission) was a regional zoning, planning and regulatory agency in northern New Jersey. Its founding mandates were to protect the delicate balance of ...

and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. While serving as president of the National League, Coleman operated

Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), known for sponsorship purposes as Nike RBI is a youth baseball program operated by Major League Baseball. This youth initiative is designed to provide young people from underserved and diverse communities ...

, forging a working alliance with the

Boys and Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, has i ...

to help grow the RBI program. He also served as chairman of the board of directors of the

Jackie Robinson Foundation The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a national, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which gives scholarships to minority youths for higher education, as well as preserves the legacy of Baseball Hall of Fame member Jackie Robinson. The foundation ...

for 18 years.

External links

Sports Encyclopedia Biography

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Leonard S. Jr. 1949 births Living people Baseball players from Newark, New Jersey Churchill Downs executives Commissioners of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni Players of American football from Montclair, New Jersey National League presidents People from Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey Players of American football from Newark, New Jersey Princeton Tigers baseball players Princeton Tigers football players Players of American football from Monmouth County, New Jersey Baseball players from Monmouth County, New Jersey