Jack Coleman (basketball)
{{short description|American basketball player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Jack Coleman
| image =
| width =
| caption =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 7
| weight_lb = 195
| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|05|23}}
| birth_place = Burgin, Kentucky, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1998|12|11|1924|05|23}}
| death_place = Burgin, Kentucky, U.S.
| high_school = Burgin (Burgin, Kentucky)
| college = Louisville (1946–1949)
| draft_year = 1949
| draft_league = BAA
| draft_round = 2
| draft_pick =
| draft_team = Rochester Royals
| career_start = 1949
| career_end = 1958
| career_number = 10, 15, 12, 11
| career_position = Power forward / center
| years1 = {{nbay|1949|start}}–{{nbay|1955|end}}
| team1 = Rochester Royals
| years2 = {{nbay|1955|end}}–{{nbay|1957|end}}
| team2 = St. Louis Hawks
| highlights =
; NBA
- 2× NBA champion (1951, 1958)
- NBA All-Star (1955)
; College football
- Third-team Little All-American (1946)
| stat1label = Points
| stat1value = 6,721 (10.6 ppg)
| stat2label = Rebounds
| stat2value = 5,186 (9.2 rpg)
| stat3label = Assists
| stat3value = 1,749 (2.8 apg)
| bbr = colemja01
}}
Jack Lillard Coleman (May 23, 1924 – December 11, 1998) was an American professional basketball player. After playing college basketball for Louisville, Coleman played in the National Basketball Association for the Rochester Royals and St. Louis Hawks from 1949 through 1957.
Career
A {{convert|6|ft|7|in|adj=on}} forward and center from the University of Louisville, Coleman played nine seasons (1949–1958) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Rochester Royals and St. Louis Hawks. He tallied 6,721 points and 5,186 rebounds in his career, and he represented Rochester in the 1955 NBA All-Star Game. Coleman also appeared in three NBA Finals, winning championships with Rochester in 1951 and St. Louis in 1958.{{cite web| title=Jack Coleman NBA & ABA Statistics| publisher=Basketball-Reference.com| url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/colemja01.html| access-date=February 16, 2007}}
During the Hawks' losing effort in the 1957 NBA Finals, Coleman became the unwitting victim of one of Bill Russell's greatest defensive plays. In the final game of the series, Coleman had an opportunity to clinch the Hawks' championship with a layup 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 to block Coleman's shot, preserving the victory for the Celtics. Celtics announcer Johnny Most screamed, "Blocked by Russell! Blocked by Russell! He came from nowhere!" The play has since gone down in history as the "Coleman Play."{{cite web| title=Timeless Excellence| last=Ryan| first=Bob| publisher= NBA Encyclopedia| url=http://www.nba.com/encyclopedia/players/bill_russell.html| access-date=February 16, 2007}}
Personal life
Coleman's son, also named Jack, served in the Kentucky House of Representatives in the 55th district from 1991 through 2004. His granddaughter Jacqueline is the current Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky.{{cite web|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2018/07/08/who-jacqueline-coleman-attorney-general-andy-beshear-running-mate-governor/766538002/ |title=AG Andy Beshear chose Jacqueline Coleman as his running mate |publisher=Courier-journal.com |date=July 8, 2018 |access-date=September 9, 2019}}
NBA career statistics
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}
= Regular season =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
!Year !Team !GP !MPG !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !PPG |
| style="text-align:left;" |1949–50
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |68 |– |.377 |.744 |– |2.3 |8.7 |
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |1950–51†
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |67 |– |.421 |.779 |8.7 |2.9 |11.4 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1951–52
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |66 |39.5 |.415 |.710 |10.5 |3.2 |11.2 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1952–53
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |70 |37.5 |.420 |.649 |11.1 |3.3 |10.9 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1953–54
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |71 |33.5 |.405 |.597 |8.3 |2.2 |9.7 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1954–55
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |72 |34.5 |.462 |.678 |10.1 |3.2 |12.8 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1955–56
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |34 |40.3 |.412 |.712 |10.1 |4.3 |14.1 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1955–56
| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis |41 |33.4 |.412 |.710 |8.4 |3.6 |11.7 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1956–57
| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis |72 |29.8 |.408 |.764 |9.0 |2.2 |10.5 |
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |1957–58†
| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis |72 |20.9 |.413 |.641 |6.7 |1.6 |7.6 |
| class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career |633 |33.1 |.416 |.695 |9.2 |2.8 |10.6 |
| class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |All-Star |1 |19.0 |.250 |.667 |6.0 |1.0 |6.0 |
= Playoffs =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
!Year !Team !GP !MPG !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !PPG |
| style="text-align:left;" |1950
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |2 |– |.350 |1.000 |– |2.0 |7.5 |
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |1951†
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |14 |– |.396 |.732 |12.8 |4.7 |10.0 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1952
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |6 |41.2 |.407 |.611 |12.2 |5.8 |9.8 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1953
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |3 |36.7 |.292 |.800 |13.3 |2.3 |7.3 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1954
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |6 |39.7 |.500 |.889 |12.3 |2.0 |11.7 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1955
| style="text-align:left;" |Rochester |3 |30.3 |.306 |.222 |9.3 |2.7 |8.0 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1956
| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis |8 |41.4 |.393 |.629 |9.9 |4.0 |13.8 |
| style="text-align:left;" |1957
| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis |10 |31.3 |.319 |.588 |8.8 |3.3 |9.2 |
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |1958†
| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis |11 |22.1 |.427 |.575 |5.5 |1.7 |9.0 |
| class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career |63 |33.5 |.385 |.646 |10.2 |3.4 |10.0 |
Notes
{{reflist}}
{{1949 BAA Draft}}
{{Rochester Royals 1950–51 NBA champions}}
{{St. Louis Hawks 1957–58 NBA champions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Jack}}
Category:Basketball players from Kentucky
Category:Indianapolis Jets draft picks
Category:Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players
Category:NBA championship–winning players
Category:People from Mercer County, Kentucky
Category:Providence Steamrollers draft picks
Category:Rochester Royals draft picks
Category:Rochester Royals players