McClain grad Ron Coleman holds special interest in Super Bowl 50

By Stephen Forsha
The Highland County Press

McClain High School graduate Ronald Coleman strongly believes in the motto that if a person works hard, good things will happen.

He believes that because for him and his family, that statement rings true. Coleman, who now lives in the Dayton area, was a four-sport athlete when he attended McClain in the late ’60s. Since then, the MHS class of 1969 graduate has raised a solid family, become a teacher, coach, principal, survived cancer, and this upcoming Sunday, his son – Kurt Coleman – will be playing on the biggest stage in sports, Super Bowl 50, when the Carolina
Panthers take on the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Kurt Coleman is a safety for the Panthers, and though this is his first season with Carolina, he’s no stranger to pro football, with this being his sixth season in the NFL.

Coleman played four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles after he was drafted out of Ohio State by Philadelphia. Last season, he played 15 games for the Kansas City Chiefs, and he also took part in a training camp with the Minnesota Vikings.

The 2015 season has been one of pure excitement for Kurt’s father because as he said, there is no comparison to what his son has accomplished, as Kurt prepares to play in the 50th edition of the Super Bowl this Sunday evening.

“There is no comparison to what Kurt has accomplished,” Mr. Coleman said when speaking about what it has been like to watch this Panthers football season. “Coming out of Greenfield, and to see my son play at this level … it is very exciting.

“All of us are excited for him. This is all about Kurt, and we are not ones to get overly excited about things. Like I tell people, ‘All we see is the head of the swan, but what we don’t see is what’s going on under the water.’” 

Mr. Coleman, who played football, basketball, baseball and track & field while wearing the purple-and-gold of McClain, taught his children to “not get rattled,” and even more importantly, he instilled a valuable belief system with his family. Coleman played high school sports for Paul Orr, Fred Raike, Sam Snyder and Paul Hager.

“Everything is built on our faith,” he said. “We have great faith, and everything we have is based on that. In our family, it is about our faith and education, and sports are secondary, but there are life lessons learned in sports which can be used in everyday life.

“We still have a lot of family in Greenfield, and they are all a part of this, too. Though not everyone will be at the Super Bowl, they will all be there in spirit.”

Kurt Coleman, 27, a Dayton native, stood out in the NFC Championship game against the Arizona Cardinals, totaling two tackles and two interceptions. Even on that big stage, he’s no stranger to “big games,” because when Coleman was at Ohio State, he played in national championship games, the Fiesta Bowl and the Rose Bowl. For this past regular season with
Carolina, Coleman totaled 55 tackles, seven interceptions and one sack.

But as his father stated, “Kurt is more than just a football player. Kurt is a better young man than he is a football player, and he’s a pretty good football player.”

Part of being a “better young man” includes his charitable foundation, “Coleman 4 A Cure,” as the foundation’s website states:

“Coleman4aCure is dedicated to bringing about a keener awareness and understanding of the need for early detection of breast cancer, a higher level of consideration for risk factors (including for men) as well as family history, and continued funding of research for a cure.”

This foundation came to fruition because Mr. Coleman is a breast cancer survivor, as the foundation has supported the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization since 2010. Mr. Coleman also has battled prostate cancer.

The foundation’s website said about Mr. Coleman’s fight against cancer:

“Ron used his diagnosis as an opportunity to help bring about a keener awareness for men and women as to how to support each other and where to find pertinent information. Throughout his recovery, Ron has made it his mission to share his story with as many people as possible.”

“I felt alone, but my family and I chose to be proactive and make others aware of my condition because I knew that there had to be others, but maybe they just hadn’t gone public with it,” Mr. Coleman said on the website.

“Well, long story short, I’ve gone public and beyond, and the support and information has been enlightening and positive.”

If that isn’t enough to show the character of Kurt Coleman and his father, there was another occurrence on the football field during Kurt’s freshman season at Ohio State in 2006 (the same year Ron was diagnosed with breast cancer) that changed many lives and eventually led him on his current path he travels today.

On what was described as a routine tackle during a team scrimmage, Kurt tackled teammate Tyson Gentry, but what was a routine tackle changed both lives forever. The tackle caused Gentry to have a C4 fracture on his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed.

Coleman almost quit football that day, but the tragedy turned to a story of forgiveness and friendship, as Coleman and Gentry have stayed in touch over the years since the tackle.

“The bond those two have built off of faith, friendship, love and respect is special,” Mr. Coleman said.

On his website, kurt-coleman.com, Kurt writes of his faith:

“Faith, family, friends, education and football – in that order. These are the cornerstones of my life that have defined who I am as a man today and who I’m striving to be in the future.”

Now for this Sunday’s Super Bowl, the path for what is currently a 17-1 season for the Panthers began for Coleman when he signed with Carolina this past offseason, and from the start, Mr. Coleman said his son told him this was the “right team.”

“The first day he joined Carolina, Kurt called me and said there was something special with this team,” Mr. Coleman said. “Kurt has a great work ethic. After four years with the Eagles, he signed with Minnesota but was cut by them late in the preseason, but Kansas City called that night, so he drove overnight from Minnesota to Kansas City.

“He has a will to be successful. He’s one of the first guys to work, and one of the last to leave. He’s overcome a lot in his football career. Kurt is not the biggest, fastest or strongest, but like we say: ‘You don’t gain anything by proving others wrong, you gain by proving yourself right.’”

Mr. Coleman says he plans to attend the Super Bowl, but since he’s currently a seventh grade health teacher at Mad River Schools, he has to work out the final details. He’s also a former high school principal and has coached athletics while a part of the education system.

The Colemans have been through more than most when it comes to life on and off the football field, but when speaking of Kurt or his father, one thing is true … they’ve worked hard for all their success and achievements.

Mr. Coleman said the message he wants to get out is simple: “The biggest thing is you don’t have to be special to do special things,” he said. “Whatever the case may be, you can make it.”

Super Bowl 50 will air on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. For more on Kurt’s foundation and his journey, visit: kurt-coleman.com and coleman4acure.org.