Derrick Coleman finds his next calling in Green Bay

The book was, quite literally, written. Derrick Coleman’s remarkable story expertly told.

First-generation college graduate. Super Bowl champion. The first legally deaf offensive player in NFL history.

By every measure, Coleman had succeeded in accomplishing everything he’d ever set out to achieve in a sport that fewer than 2% of college athletes play professionally.

After a lifetime spent on the gridiron, however, one of the most inspirational athletes of his generation needed to find what came next after playing his final season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.

Never afraid to work, Coleman dabbled in construction, real estate, and insurance. Recreationally, he swapped football for golf to scratch his competitive itch.

Still, nothing could replace the camaraderie Coleman felt on Sundays.

“The one thing I loved about football – when I stepped in the building, when I stepped on the field, nothing else in the world mattered,” Coleman said.

“Nobody else cares if you were broke. Nobody cares what skin color you are or if you have ADD, anxiety, hearing loss, wear glasses. They don’t care about none of that. They care about can we succeed and can we win with you.”

Coleman first returned to football last year as running backs coach at Santa Ana College, a California community college whose head coach led one of Coleman’s rival high schools.

It was a rewarding experience and Coleman enjoyed teaching younger athletes the game. But in returning to the sidelines, the service-oriented Coleman was as enamored with his players’ classroom habits as he was the result on gamedays.

Discovering a few players were struggling in class, Coleman encouraged them to come 15-20 minutes early to focus on schoolwork before diving into the film. Football is a fun game, but college is also about forging a path to ensure a financial future.

“I like to help people,” Coleman said. “I want to see them enjoy their journeys to get to the destination. They get to the destination, great. If they don’t, how do we change that? That’s the part that I like. That’s being me. That’s where I get my joy from. That’s what lights me on fire.”

That experience opened a new corridor for Coleman, one that has now brought him to Green Bay as the Packers’ assistant to the director of player engagement.

It’s a serendipitous arrangement considering this month marks the 10-year anniversary of Coleman getting his first big NFL break with the Seahawks in a preseason game at Lambeau Field.

In the decade that’s followed, Coleman has become one of the country’s leading ambassadors for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. His story of toughness, positivity, and willpower to conquer the impossible inspired an entire generation.

Football gave Coleman a gift and he’s spent every waking moment since vowing to pay it forward. Any possible way he can.

“He’s had a different route to get where he is than anyone else, and I think that perspective is important,” said Packers director of player engagement Grey Ruegamer. “If you think that you have it hard, here’s a young man who came up through football and had to overcome a hell of a lot more.”