American football fullback Derrick Coleman has braved all adversity to get where he is in his profession. This NFL player, who was diagnosed with a hearing problem when he was a little older than a toddler, has indeed shown that there are no limits to success if you really want it.
Let’s take a look at his resume, the beginning of his career, and any other interesting details about this fullback player.
Derrick Coleman Bio
Derrick Coleman was born under the full name Derrick Lamont Coleman Jr. on October 18, 1990, in West Los Angeles, California, United States of America. At the age of three, he was diagnosed with hearing loss by a pediatric hearing healthcare professional who told his parents that little Derrick in his left ear would become deaf, stating that he would become completely deaf due to genetic causes. Derrick’s parents did not have a specific built-in hearing gene, which meant that any child they fathered together would likely have a hearing defect, and unfortunately, he became a victim of this genetic disorder. As a result of this disorder, Derrick Coleman began wearing a hearing aid in elementary school and was eventually bullied by his classmates who harassed him for wearing the hearing aid.
Derrick Coleman’s football career continued to flourish when he left elementary school and enrolled at Troy High School in Fullerton, California. In his senior year, he earned the title of Most Valuable Player on the team and first team in the All-League. He also broke the season record when he scored 38 touchdowns and scored 232 goals. In addition, ESPN named him the number 2 fullback player nationwide.
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His college days were as exciting on the field 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 headgear to prevent further damage to his ears. During his college career, he won the Outstanding Special Teams Player three times, winning the Tommy Prothro Award from UCLA. In his graduation year, he also won the Paul I Wellman Memorial Award for All-Around Excellence from the coaching staff.
NFL Career
Despite his successful college soccer career, Derrick was not drafted into the National Football League after graduating in 2012 but was signed up by the Minnesota Vikings as an unconscripted Free Agent, which he waived that same year. However, all hope was not lost when the Seattle Seahawks signed him up in December 2012. This officially made Derrick Coleman the third deaf man to play in the NFL; the other two were Bonnie Sloan in 1973 and Kenny Walker in 1991. He scored his first touchdown in the game against the New Orleans Saints and earned a spot on the Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII championship team.
The next fullback team was the Atlanta Falcons, with whom he signed on March 21, 2017, and recorded his winning game against the Chicago Bears on September 10, 2017, in a game that ended with 23-17 points. He is currently under contract with the Arizona Cardinals after completing all the necessary paperwork for the transfer on May 9, 2018.
Family – Who Are His Parents?
The Fullback is the son of Derrick Coleman Snr. and May Evans, who played an important role in his life. In his early days, Derrick owes his self-confidence and high self-esteem to his parents, who never gave up on him. In the 7th grade, Derrick took the courageous step to start playing soccer and although his mother was skeptical about his newfound hobby, his father encouraged him to play. After the family doctor gave him permission to play, Derrick became the new star on the field, as he is said to have played with more verve and made more tackles than his comrades.
Derrick’s mother May revealed in an interview that the world would perceive your child as you do and that all children should be given the same chances as they had given Derrick.
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Derrick Coleman Height, Weight, and Other Facts
Derrick Coleman is a chunk of dark chocolate that is gracefully built with a height of 1.83 m (6 ft 0 inch) and a weight of 106 kg (approx. 233 lbs).
In 2014, Derrick Coleman was featured in a commercial for Duracell Batteries, and the commercial proved to be a huge success as it was on everyone’s lips nationwide. He even caught the attention of twins Riley and Erin, who wrote him a letter of encouragement because they too had similar challenges to the fullback. Touched by their act of kindness, Derrick, in collaboration with Duracell, invited their family to see the Super Bowl XLVIII live on February 2, 2014.
It is also worth knowing that the Fullback belongs to the Christian faith and is a man who is self-motivated in addition to his optimistic nature. Derrick is supposed to believe that he has no limitations because he once said that whenever someone says he can’t do something, he just tells the person to watch him and he has proven to the world that there is no excuse for greatness.
