Don Coleman

Donald Alvin Coleman (born January 11, 1952) is an American former professional football player. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1971 to 1973 and professionally for the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets from 1974 to 1978. He is the founder of the advertising agency GlobalHue.

Early life Coleman was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1952,

College career Coleman enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1970 on a football scholarship. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines under head coach Bo Schembechler from 1971 to 1973. Coleman began the 1971 season as a backup fullback, but Schembechler moved him to defensive end in late September 1971. Coleman played at defensive end from 1972 to 1973 and helped the Wolverines tie for first place in the Big Ten Conference both years. Although still listed as a defensive end, Schembechler described Coleman's role as follows in 1973: "In our defense we use a flop-end. So Coleman is actually a pro linebacker. He has to cover the pass as part of his responsibility today more so than normal." Coleman had 51 tackles and 52 assists for the Wolverines.

Professional career Coleman was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 16th round (398th overall pick) of the 1974 NFL draft. He played two seasons for the Saints in 1974 and 1975, appearing in 27 NFL games. Coleman was cut by the Saints in August 1976. He signed as a free agent with the New York Jets shortly after being released by the Saints, but he missed the entire 1976 NFL season with a left knee injury. In August 1977, Coleman underwent surgery on his right knee, and he was placed on injured reserve status. The Jets released Coleman in June 1978.

Advertising career While recovering from football injuries, Coleman obtained an M.B.A. degree in marketing from Hofstra University in New York in 1976. In 2009, GlobalHue was named "Multicultural Advertising Agency of the Decade" by Advertising Week magazine. In 2010, Black Enterprise magazine named GlobalHue the BE 100 Advertising Agency of the Year, an honor that GlobalHue also received in 1998 and 2003. Coleman's daughter, Kelli Coleman, has also worked for GlobalHue since 2002 and is the vice president for business development.

In 2009, Coleman launched The Coleman Entrepreneurial Scholarship (CES), which strives to promote entrepreneurship as a career choice among college students of ethnic backgrounds, particularly African-American and Hispanic. CES awards $50,000 in scholarships annually.

Coleman is also a member of the External Advisory Board at the A.C. Nielsen Center Marketing Research Business School, the Board of Visitors at The Howard University John H. Johnson School of Communications, and the Board of Trustees for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Louis Carr Internship Foundation. Since 1999, he has served as vice chairman of the National Action Network (NAN), where he is a contributor to the organization's fundraising initiatives.