Feb. 2, 2010
Former NFL Player Andre Coleman Named to Coaching Staff
Youngstown -- Youngstown State Head Football Coach Eric Wolford announced on Tuesday that former NFL wide receiver and kick returner Andre Coleman has joined the Penguins’ coaching staff. Coleman, a graduate of Hickory High School in Hermitage, Pa., will serve as YSU’s tight ends coach.
Wolford and Coleman played together at Kansas State in the early 1990's and have remained in contact throughout the years.
"Andre has played at the highest level in the NFL playing and returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the Super Bowl," Wolford said. "He is someone I have known for along time and is a person I can rely on to get the job done at all times. He can relate well with our student-athletes and has a lot to teach them."
Coleman spent five years in the NFL playing for San Diego, Seattle and Pittsburgh. As a kickoff returner, he had 193 returns for a total of 4,446 yards and scored four touchdowns. As a punt returner, he had 43 returns for 384 yards and a score. In 56 career games played, he caught 44 passes for 613 yards and three touchdowns in his NFL career. A two-time Pro Bowl Alternate, Coleman was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month on four occasions.
As a member of the Chargers in 1994, Coleman helped San Diego win the AFC Championship and an appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. Against San Francisco, he established eight Super Bowl records, including a then-record 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. In the game he returned eight kickoffs for a total of 244 yards.
At Kansas State, Coleman accumulated 3,443 all-purpose yards in his 43-game career. He caught 95 passes for 1,556 yards; rushed seven times for 67 yards; returned 27 punts for 362 yards and returned 60 kickoffs for 1,458 yards. He caught 12 touchdown passes in his career. As a senior, he was a first-team All-Big Eight selection as a wide receiver catching 42 passes for 761 yards and six TDs.
He was drafted by the Chargers in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft as the No. 70 pick overall following his senior campaign.
After retiring from the NFL, Coleman moved to Atlanta, Ga., where he became active in residential and commercial real estate. He has also been involved in many successful business ventures and worked for New Era Sports Consultants, a company which provided representation to professional football players.
In high school, Coleman was a first-team all-state selection as a running back at Hickory High School. He rushed for a record-breaking 3,700 yards and 64 touchdowns in his final two seasons and was named 1990 Pennsylvania State Player of the Year. He led Hickory to its first Class AA State Championship in school history.