John Coleman (Australian footballer)
John Douglas Coleman (23 November 1928 – 5 April 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| John Coleman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Coleman, 1949 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | John Douglas Coleman | ||
| Date of birth | 23 November 1928 | ||
| Place of birth | Port Fairy, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 5 April 1973 (aged 44) | ||
| Place of death | Dromana, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Hastings | ||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Full-forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1949–1954 | Essendon | 98 (537) | |
| Coaching career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
| 1961–1967 | Essendon | 134 (91–40–3) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1967. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Coleman is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever Australian rules footballers. In a relatively short playing career, Coleman has the second-highest goal average in the history of the VFL/AFL (with 5.48), kicking 537 goals in 98 matches; he is behind only Peter Hudson (with 5.64). As of 2023, they are the only VFL/AFL players to average more than five goals per game. He was also known for his high-flying spectacular marks, in some cases jumping cleanly over opponents. After a knee injury ended his playing career at age 25, he returned to coach Essendon to premiership success. Coleman died in 1973, at the age of 44, of sudden coronary atheroma.
In 1981, the VFL named the Coleman Medal in his honour, awarding it to the League's leading goalkicker at the end of the home-and-away rounds. In 1996 he was one of 12 inaugural Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees bestowed "Legend" status. He is the only player amongst them to have played fewer than 100 games at senior level.