An avid sportsman from very early days, he played in an under 18s football team when he was just 12 years of age and during his secondary schooling at University High, John was vice captain of the athletics team and a high jump and triple jump champion.
While playing for the University Hill football team in 1946 Coleman was approached by the Essendon Football Club to train with them. It was believed that he had reservations at first to join the side and continued to play in the Mornington Peninsula Football League with his brother. It was in 1949 that Coleman finally decided to join the Bombers, after having 12 other VFL teams approach him with offers. His first game was against Hawthorn in the opening round of the 1949 season where he proved his worth. His first kick in the VFL was a goal and he totalled 12 goals for his first game; a feat that is yet to be beaten.
His debut season was a great success. Within weeks of his inclusion into the Essendon side, he became one of the crowd favourites. He was known for his incredible goal kicking and the ability to leap higher than any of his opponents to take flying marks. At the end of this season he was awarded Essendon’s ‘Best and Fairest’.
During the last quarter of the 1949 Grand Final, Coleman kicked his 100th goal for the season to secure a win against Carlton. He was the first player post-war to kick 100 goals in the VFL and he is still the only football player to ever kick 100 goals in their debut year. His 1950 season was just as successful, managing a personal record of 120 goals and another premiership for the Bombers. There was only one game in his career that he went goal-less and his record of goals kicked in one game was 14 in 1952. He also kicked eight or more goals in a game 20 times in his career.
In 1951, Coleman and Carlton player Harry Caspar had an altercation on field which ended up with Coleman being suspended four weeks for retaliating after being punched twice in the eye. This suspension kept Coleman out of the 1951 Grand Final where Essendon lost by 11 points. Many believe that the suspension of Coleman is what cost Essendon the 1951 Grand Final.
His career looked destined to be a long and successful one; Coleman had seen four great years at Essendon and fans were expecting many more. However, in round eight 1954 disaster struck for Coleman and supporters alike. After running for a mark, Coleman slipped and dislocated his knee in what would be a career ending injury. He was only 25 years of age.
That injury cut a star off in his prime; just two games shy of a 100 games for the Bombers. From his 98 games, Coleman kicked 537 goals, a massive feat for any player past or present. During his career, he had an average of 5.48 goals per game which is the second highest average in football history. Coleman was the leading goal kicker for Essendon 1949-1954, even though his 1954 season was cut short. He was also the VFL leading goal kicker in 1949, 1950, 1952 and 1953.
After hanging up his boots, Coleman remained a part of Essendon.He joined the football club committee in 1959 and then in 1961 was asked to take over as senior coach. His rapportwith the players and his incredible understanding of the game meant that he was a great coach, loved by his players and supporters. He coached a total of 134 games and saw Essendon to premierships in 1962 and 1965. However, his injury continued to haunt him and led to his retirement from coaching in 1967 after he could no longer keep up with the players during training sessions.
In 1973, Coleman died suddenly of a heart attack which shocked friends and family. The football world mourned the death of a legend.
In his honour, the Coleman Medal was created and is awarded to the player with the highest goal kicking tally at the end of every season.
John Coleman is a champion not only of the Essendon Football Club but of the entire VFL/AFL. During his playing years, he won Essendon’s ‘Best and Fairest’, was selected four times for the state team and in 1953, was named ‘All Australian’. After his playing years were over he was inducted into the Essendon and AFL Halls of Fame. In 1996, he was elevated to ‘legend’ status in the AFL Hall of Fame, a feat that is well deserved by a player as influential as himself.
