Hall of Fame
LaMONTE COLEMAN
- Sport: Football
- Attended: 1992-94
- Highlights: Still holds SRU records for single-season rushing average and rushing touchdowns, All-American running back, two-time first team All-PSAC, played in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, also played and coached professional arena football.
LaMonte Coleman was among the best running backs in Division II in the early 1990s and set multiple records at The Rock during a two-year stretch in 1993 and 1994 when he picked up back-to-back first team All-PSAC honors.
Coleman was named to All-America honors in 1993 and followed that up by ranking second in Division II in scoring in 1994 when he tallied 21 rushing touchdowns and 126 points. The 21 rushing scores that year, along with his 160.1 rushing yards per game, still stand as single-season records at Slippery Rock. Coleman also owns the Mihalik-Thompson Stadium single-game rushing record from when he ran for 306 yards against Edinboro in 1993.
In 31 games at SRU, Coleman rushed for 3,166 yards and 37 touchdowns, finishing his career averaging 5.7 yards per carry, 102 yards per game and 1.2 rushing touchdowns per game.
A team captain in 1994, Coleman was selected to play in the 1995 Snow Bowl in Fargo, North Dakota, a senior showcase game that at the time was among the most elite invites in college football.
Coleman signed a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 1994 season and began a pro football career before finishing his undergraduate degree. He was a member of the Steelers' roster for Super Bowl XXX before continuing his pro career at the arena level through 2005. He was the 2001 Offensive MVP of the National Indoor Football League when he scored 38 touchdowns in a single-season for the Johnstown J-Dogs.
He returned to college after his playing career and earned his undergraduate degree in education from Ohio State University in 2008 and would later add a master's degree in athletic administration in 2017.
Coleman went into coaching at the arena level and was named the 2014 Coach of the Year for the Continental Indoor Football League after leading the Marion Blue Bombers to a division title and an appearance in the league championship game. He served as head coach with the Blue Bombers in Marion, Ohio through the 2015 season.
Coleman and his wife, Dr. Shavonne Ramsey-Coleman, now reside Parkland, Florida with their two children, Kennedy and Christopher. He is currently the director of operations for Identity Security and Investigations, where he oversees security and hospitality contracts for the Miami and Orlando markets.
