John Coleman
Essendon
AFL career
98 games537 goals
- Debut
- R1 1949 v HAW16 Apr 1949
- Most recent
- R8 1954 v NTH5 June 1954
Coaching career
133 games90 wins40 losses3 draws
- First
- R1 1961 v NTH15 Apr 1961
- Most recent
- R18 1967 v MEL26 Aug 1967
Stats
Bio
Recruited from Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula, John Coleman burst onto the VFL scene in 1949 with a record-breaking twelve goals on debut against Hawthorn. A high-flying full-forward renowned for his prodigious leap and vice-like hands, Coleman dominated aerial contests and possessed an uncanny ability to convert opportunities from all angles. He played his entire career at Essendon, spearheading the club to premierships in 1949 and 1950 while topping the league goalkicking table in four of his five full seasons. His playing days were brought to a premature end at just 25 years of age following a severe knee injury, leaving him with the highest goal-per-game average in the history of the sport. Coleman later returned to coach the Bombers to another two flags, and his standing as an icon of the game is permanently enshrined through the Coleman Medal, awarded annually to the competition's leading goalkicker.
Profile
- Born
- 23 Nov 1928
- Died
- 05 Apr 1973 (aged 44y 133d)
- Birthplace
- Port Fairy, Victoria
- Deathplace
- Dromana, Victoria
- Height
- 185 cm
- Weight
- 80 kg
Teams
Coaching
Honours
- Premiership(2×) 1949, 1950
- Hall of Fame Legend1996
- Hall of Fame1996
- Leading Goalkicker Medal(5×) 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953
- Essendon B&F1949
- Brownlow Medal
- Top 10
- 1949
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula, John Coleman burst onto the VFL scene in 1949 with a record-breaking twelve goals on debut against Hawthorn. A high-flying full-forward renowned for his prodigious leap and vice-like hands, Coleman dominated aerial contests and possessed an uncanny ability to convert opportunities from all angles. He played his entire career at Essendon, spearheading the club to premierships in 1949 and 1950 while topping the league goalkicking table in four of his five full seasons. His playing days were brought to a premature end at just 25 years of age following a severe knee injury, leaving him with the highest goal-per-game average in the history of the sport. Coleman later returned to coach the Bombers to another two flags, and his standing as an icon of the game is permanently enshrined through the Coleman Medal, awarded annually to the competition's leading goalkicker.