Jack Coleman (basketball)

Jack Coleman
Personal information
Born(1924-05-23)May 23, 1924
Burgin, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedDecember 11, 1998(1998-12-11) (aged 74)
Burgin, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolBurgin (Burgin, Kentucky)
CollegeLouisville (1946–1949)
BAA draft1949: 2nd round
Selected by the Rochester Royals
Playing career1949–1958
PositionPower forward / center
Number10, 15, 12, 11
Career history
1949–1956Rochester Royals
1956–1958St. Louis Hawks
Career highlights and awards
NBA
College football
Career statistics
Points6,721 (10.6 ppg)
Rebounds5,186 (9.2 rpg)
Assists1,749 (2.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

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 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m) 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.[1]

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."[2]

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.[3]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949–50 Rochester 68 – .377 .744 – 2.3 8.7
1950–51† Rochester 67 – .421 .779 8.7 2.9 11.4
1951–52 Rochester 66 39.5 .415 .710 10.5 3.2 11.2
1952–53 Rochester 70 37.5 .420 .649 11.1 3.3 10.9
1953–54 Rochester 71 33.5 .405 .597 8.3 2.2 9.7
1954–55 Rochester 72 34.5 .462 .678 10.1 3.2 12.8
1955–56 Rochester 34 40.3 .412 .712 10.1 4.3 14.1
1955–56 St. Louis 41 33.4 .412 .710 8.4 3.6 11.7
1956–57 St. Louis 72 29.8 .408 .764 9.0 2.2 10.5
1957–58† St. Louis 72 20.9 .413 .641 6.7 1.6 7.6
Career 633 33.1 .416 .695 9.2 2.8 10.6
All-Star 1 19.0 .250 .667 6.0 1.0 6.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1950 Rochester 2 – .350 1.000 – 2.0 7.5
1951† Rochester 14 – .396 .732 12.8 4.7 10.0
1952 Rochester 6 41.2 .407 .611 12.2 5.8 9.8
1953 Rochester 3 36.7 .292 .800 13.3 2.3 7.3
1954 Rochester 6 39.7 .500 .889 12.3 2.0 11.7
1955 Rochester 3 30.3 .306 .222 9.3 2.7 8.0
1956 St. Louis 8 41.4 .393 .629 9.9 4.0 13.8
1957 St. Louis 10 31.3 .319 .588 8.8 3.3 9.2
1958† St. Louis 11 22.1 .427 .575 5.5 1.7 9.0
Career 63 33.5 .385 .646 10.2 3.4 10.0

Notes

  1. ^ "Jack Coleman NBA & ABA Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
  2. ^ Ryan, Bob. "Timeless Excellence". NBA Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
  3. ^ "AG Andy Beshear chose Jacqueline Coleman as his running mate". Courier-journal.com. July 8, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2019.