| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1924-05-23)May 23, 1924 Burgin, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 1998(1998-12-11) (aged 74) Burgin, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Burgin (Burgin, Kentucky) |
| College | Louisville (1946–1949) |
| BAA draft | 1949: 2nd round |
| Drafted by | Rochester Royals |
| Playing career | 1949–1958 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 10, 15, 12, 11 |
| Career history | |
| 1949–1956 | Rochester Royals |
| 1956–1958 | St. Louis Hawks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 6,721 (10.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,186 (9.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,749 (2.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Jack Lillard Coleman (May 23, 1924 – December 11, 1998) was an American professionalbasketball player. After playingcollege basketball forLouisville, Coleman played in theNational Basketball Association for theRochester Royals andSt. Louis Hawks from 1949 through 1957.
A 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m)forward andcenter from theUniversity of Louisville, Coleman played nine seasons (1949–1958) in theNational Basketball Association as a member of theRochester Royals andSt. Louis Hawks. He tallied 6,721 points and 5,186rebounds in his career, and he represented Rochester in the1955 NBA All-Star Game. Coleman also appeared in threeNBA Finals, winning championships with Rochester in 1951 and St. Louis in 1958.[1]
During the Hawks' appearance in the1957 NBA Finals, Coleman was involved in one ofBill Russell's most memorable defensive plays. In the final game of the series, Coleman had an opportunity to clinch the Hawks' championship with alayup after receiving an outlet pass at midcourt. Bill Russell, who had been standing at his own baseline when the play began, ran the entire length of the floor and managed toblock Coleman's shot, preserving the victory for the Celtics. Celtics announcerJohnny Most screamed, "Blocked by Russell! Blocked by Russell! He came from nowhere!" The play has since gone down in history as the "Coleman Play."[2]
Coleman's son, also namedJack, served in theKentucky House of Representatives in the 55th district from 1991 through 2004. His granddaughterJacqueline is the currentLieutenant Governor of Kentucky.[3]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Rochester | 68 | – | .377 | .744 | – | 2.3 | 8.7 |
| 1950–51† | Rochester | 67 | – | .421 | .779 | 8.7 | 2.9 | 11.4 |
| 1951–52 | Rochester | 66 | 39.5 | .415 | .710 | 10.5 | 3.2 | 11.2 |
| 1952–53 | Rochester | 70 | 37.5 | .420 | .649 | 11.1 | 3.3 | 10.9 |
| 1953–54 | Rochester | 71 | 33.5 | .405 | .597 | 8.3 | 2.2 | 9.7 |
| 1954–55 | Rochester | 72 | 34.5 | .462 | .678 | 10.1 | 3.2 | 12.8 |
| 1955–56 | Rochester | 34 | 40.3 | .412 | .712 | 10.1 | 4.3 | 14.1 |
| 1955–56 | St. Louis | 41 | 33.4 | .412 | .710 | 8.4 | 3.6 | 11.7 |
| 1956–57 | St. Louis | 72 | 29.8 | .408 | .764 | 9.0 | 2.2 | 10.5 |
| 1957–58† | St. Louis | 72 | 20.9 | .413 | .641 | 6.7 | 1.6 | 7.6 |
| Career | 633 | 33.1 | .416 | .695 | 9.2 | 2.8 | 10.6 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 19.0 | .250 | .667 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Rochester | 2 | – | .350 | 1.000 | – | 2.0 | 7.5 |
| 1951† | Rochester | 14 | – | .396 | .732 | 12.8 | 4.7 | 10.0 |
| 1952 | Rochester | 6 | 41.2 | .407 | .611 | 12.2 | 5.8 | 9.8 |
| 1953 | Rochester | 3 | 36.7 | .292 | .800 | 13.3 | 2.3 | 7.3 |
| 1954 | Rochester | 6 | 39.7 | .500 | .889 | 12.3 | 2.0 | 11.7 |
| 1955 | Rochester | 3 | 30.3 | .306 | .222 | 9.3 | 2.7 | 8.0 |
| 1956 | St. Louis | 8 | 41.4 | .393 | .629 | 9.9 | 4.0 | 13.8 |
| 1957 | St. Louis | 10 | 31.3 | .319 | .588 | 8.8 | 3.3 | 9.2 |
| 1958† | St. Louis | 11 | 22.1 | .427 | .575 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 9.0 |
| Career | 63 | 33.5 | .385 | .646 | 10.2 | 3.4 | 10.0 | |