Cosey Coleman
No. 60
Position:Offensive guard
Personal information
Born: (1978-10-27) October 27, 1978 (age 45)
Clarkston, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
High school:Southwest DeKalb
(Decatur, Georgia)
College:Tennessee
NFL Draft:2000 / Round: 2 / Pick: 51
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:100
Games started:92
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Cosey Casey Coleman (born October 27, 1978) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, was a member of a BCS National Championship team, and received consensus All-American honors. A second-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, Coleman played professionally for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

Early years

Coleman attended Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur, Georgia.[1] He earned USA Today high school All-America honors playing high school football for the Southwest DeKalb Panthers.[2]

College career

Coleman received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee, where he played for head coach Phillip Fulmer's Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1997 to 1999.[3] Starting as a freshman in 1997, he played in 35 games, and starting 30 of them, over his three-season collegiate career. As a sophomore, he started all 13 games and helped lead the Volunteers to Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships in 1997 and 1998 and a 23–16 victory over the Florida State Seminoles in the Fiesta Bowl) to win the BCS National Championship.[4][5][6] For his stellar play during the 1998 season, including going the entire season without allowing a quarterback sack, Coleman was named as a first-team All-SEC selection and a second-team All-American.[7][8] He was a first-team All-SEC selection and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American following his junior season in 1999.[9][10] Coleman decided to forgo his senior season and entered the 2000 NFL Draft.[11]

Professional career

Coleman was drafted in the second round with the 51st overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[12][13] As a rookie with Tampa Bay in the 2000 season, he appeared in eight games at both offensive guard positions.[14] He moved into the starting lineup in 2001, starting for all 16 games and the Buccaneers' Wild Card Round playoff game.[15][16] Looking to improve further, Coleman started 15 games in the 2002 season as well as all three playoff games, which included the Buccaneers' Super Bowl XXXVII victory.[17] In that game, the Buccaneers dominated the Oakland Raiders en route to a 48-21 victory and his only Super Bowl title.[18] Coleman started all 32 games over the 2003 and 2004 seasons and continued to cement his reputation as one of the league's best offensive linemen.[19][20]

Following the 2004 season, Coleman moved on to the Cleveland Browns.[21] He was promptly inserted into the starting lineup for a young Browns team. He played for the Browns for two seasons from 2005-2006, starting in 29 games.[22][23]

Over his seven-year career, Coleman has played in 100 games, of which he started 92.[24] Coleman announced his retirement from professional football in 2007 after seven years in the league due to bad knees, which not would allow him to pass a physical.[25]

Post-playing career

After retiring from professional football, Coleman re-enrolled at the University of Tennessee, where he majored in legal studies.[citation needed] He is currently an assistant coach for the Middleton High School football team.[26] He has worked in the insurance industry.[27]

References

  1. ^ "Cosey Coleman - Football". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  2. ^ "1996 USA Today All-USA Team". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  3. ^ Calhoun, Caleb (December 28, 2015). "Top 50 Greatest Vols in Tennessee Football History". All for Tennessee. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  4. ^ "1997 Southeastern Conference Year Summary". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  5. ^ "1998 Southeastern Conference Year Summary". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Harralson, Dan (August 8, 2021). "PHOTOS: Tennessee defeats Florida State to win 1998 national championship". Vols Wire. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Hooker, Dave (August 25, 2018). "The 1998 national champion Vols: Where are they now?". Saturday Down South. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Mills, Roger (April 16, 2000). "Coleman and Bucs get their wish". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "DuBose, Alexander, Grant head AP All-SEC team". The Ledger. December 8, 1999. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  10. ^ "1999 AP ALL-AMERICA FOOTBALL TEAM". The Oklahoman. December 14, 1999. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Fifth Vol opts to leave early for NFL draft". Tampa Bay Times. January 11, 2000. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "Back to the Future". Buccaneers.com. April 17, 2000. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  13. ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  14. ^ "Cosey Coleman 2000 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  15. ^ "Cosey Coleman 2001 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  16. ^ "Wild Card - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles - January 12th, 2002". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  17. ^ "Cosey Coleman 2002 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  18. ^ "Super Bowl XXXVII - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders - January 26th, 2003". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  19. ^ "Cosey Coleman 2003 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  20. ^ "Cosey Coleman 2004 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  21. ^ "Browns add guard Cosey Coleman". Patriots.com. May 7, 2005. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "Cosey Coleman 2005 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  23. ^ "Cosey Coleman 2006 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  24. ^ "Cosey Coleman Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  25. ^ Doerschuk, Steve (July 26, 2007). "Believe the impossible: Browns can be winners". Galesburg Register Mail. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  26. ^ Ward, Bill (February 3, 2013). "Ex-Buc Coleman starts his coaching career as Middleton assistant | TB…". Tampa Bay Online. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  27. ^ Knight, Joey (February 6, 2021). "Where are they now? Catching up with the Bucs' last Super Bowl title team". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2023.

External links

1998 Tennessee Volunteers football—consensus national champions
1999 College Football All-America Team consensus selections
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2000 NFL Draft selections
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl XXXVII champions
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