Tonto Coleman
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Coleman pictured in Prickly Pear 1949, Abilene Christian yearbook
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | July 7, 1907 Phil Campbell, Alabama |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Abilene, Texas |
| Playing career | |
| 1925–1928 | Abilene Christian |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1942–1949 | Abilene Christian |
| 1950–1951 | Florida (assistant) |
| 1952–1965 | Georgia Tech (assistant) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1966–1972 | SEC (commissioner) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 28–15–2 |
| Statistics | |
Arthur Marvin "Tonto" Coleman (July 7, 1907 – October 18, 1973) was an American college football player, coach, and athletics administrator.
Contents
Early life and education
Coleman was born in Phil Campbell, Alabama, but moved to Texas with his family when he was 12 years old. After graduating from high school, he attended Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, where he was a varsity letterman in three sports—football, basketball and baseball. Coleman graduated from Abilene Christian with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1928, and subsequently earned a master's degree in post-secondary education in 1949. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
Coaching career
Coleman was the sixth head football coach for the Abilene Christian University Wildcats for five seasons, from 1942 until 1949. His coaching record at Abilene Christian was 28–15–2, which ranks him sixth at Abilene Christian in total wins and seventh in winning percentage (.644).[1]
In 1950, Florida Gators football coach Bob Woodruff recruited Coleman to be his assistant at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coach Bobby Dodd subsequently invited him to become part of the Georgia Tech coaching staff in Atlanta, Georgia. While coaching at Georgia Tech, he also was the assistant athletic director and the coach of Georgia Tech's freshmen football team.[2][3]
SEC commissioner
Coleman became the fourth commissioner of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1966, serving until 1972.
Coleman died of a coronary occlusion in 1973.[4]
References
- ↑ Abilene Christian University coaching records
- ↑ College Football Reference Abilene Christian University Football Records
- ↑ 2008 Wildcat Football (media guide) ACU Record Book
- ↑ [1]
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- 1907 births
- 1973 deaths
- Abilene Christian Wildcats baseball players
- Abilene Christian Wildcats football coaches
- Abilene Christian Wildcats football players
- Abilene Christian Wildcats men's basketball players
- Florida Gators football coaches
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches
- Southeastern Conference commissioners
- American military personnel of World War II
- People from Franklin County, Alabama
- Players of American football from Texas
