Walt Coleman
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Walt Coleman is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since 1989. Coleman served as a line judge for the first six seasons before being promoted to referee at the start of the 1995 NFL season. Over his NFL career, he has worked two conference championship games (1998 and 2003). Coleman wears the uniform number 65.
Coleman worked for the Arkansas Activities Association, the governing body for high school athletics in Arkansas, for 14 years before moving up to the college level. His college officiating career included five years in the Southland Conference (Division I-AA) and five years in the Southwest Conference (Division I). He was never promoted to referee during his college officiating career, which was unusual for officials eventually hired by the NFL, especially for those who are promoted to referee.
Coleman resides in Little Rock, Arkansas and is a fifth-generation family operator of Coleman Dairy.
Outside of officiating, Coleman serves on many local boards and associations including the Little Rock Boys and Girls Club and Greater Little Rock YMCA. Coleman is a former president of the Arkansas Dairy Products Association and Major Sports Association of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Coleman's 2006 NFL officiating crew consists of Jeff Rice, Ron Phares, Bill Spyksma, Steve Zimmer, Dave Wyant, and Richard Reels.
Another NFL official, side judge James Coleman (#95), shares Walt Coleman's last name, and ironically, also atteneded the University of Arkansas. But Walt Coleman and James Coleman are not related.
[edit] Controversy
Coleman made headlines on January 19, 2002, for a call he made during what has been deemed by many as the "Snow Bowl" because of the enormous amounts of snow that had fallen during and prior to the game at Foxboro Stadium between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders. With 1:47 left in regulation, Oakland cornerback Charles Woodson, knocked the ball from New England's quarterback Tom Brady causing a fumble that was recovered by Oakland linebacker Greg Biekert. For a moment it looked like the end of the Patriots season, however, Coleman reviewed the play and overturned the fumble call, giving the Patriots the opportunity to win the game. The rule applied in the decision was the tuck rule. That is why this game is also known as The Tuck.
Coleman later said of the play, "It was in the last two minutes of the game, and the (instant) replay guy, buzzed me and said the play needed to be reviewed. After I went over to the monitor and looked at the play, it was obvious to me that it was a forward pass. So I changed the ruling from a fumble to an incomplete pass and, as the saying goes, 'the rest is history'."
[edit] External links
- The "controversial" fumble call as it aired on the Raider's Radio Network. You can hear how quickly the emotions of announcers Greg Papa and Tom Flores change from the moment the fumble occurs to the final ruling by Coleman.[1]
- Green, Johnny. "Milkman to flagman", Texarkana Gazette, 2005-06-23. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.
