| No. 60 | |||||||
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| Position | Offensive guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1978-10-27)October 27, 1978 (age 47) 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: 2nd round, 51st overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Cosey Casey Coleman (born October 27, 1978) is an American former professionalfootball player who was anoffensive guard in theNational Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers, was a member of aBCS National Championship team, and received consensusAll-American honors. A second-round pick in the2000 NFL draft, Coleman played professionally for theCleveland Browns andTampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
Coleman attendedSouthwest DeKalb High School inDecatur, Georgia.[1] He earnedUSA Today high school All-America honors playinghigh school football for the Southwest DeKalb Panthers.[2]
Coleman received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee, where he played for head coachPhillip Fulmer'sTennessee Volunteers football team from1997 to1999.[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 toSoutheastern Conference (SEC) Championships in 1997 and 1998 and a 23–16 victory over theFlorida State Seminoles in theFiesta Bowl to win theBCS 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]
Coleman was selected in the second round with the 51st overall pick in the2000 NFL draft by theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[12][13] As a rookie with Tampa Bay in the2000 season, he appeared in eight games at bothoffensive guard positions.[14] He moved into the starting lineup in2001, starting for all 16 games and the Buccaneers' Wild Card Round playoff game.[15][16] Looking to improve further, Coleman started 15 games in the2002 season as well as all three playoff games, which included the Buccaneers'Super Bowl XXXVII victory.[17] In that game, the Buccaneers dominated theOakland Raiders en route to a 48–21 victory and his onlySuper Bowl title.[18] Coleman started all 32 games over the2003 and2004 seasons and continued to cement his reputation as one of the league's best offensive linemen.[19][20]
Following the2004 season, Coleman moved on to theCleveland Browns.[21] He was promptly inserted into the starting lineup for a young Browns team. He played for the Browns for two seasons from2005–2006, 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]
After retiring from professional football, Coleman re-enrolled at the University of Tennessee, where he majored inlegal 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]