By Logan Westerfield
April 29, 2014
Derrick Coleman
The day before the super bowl game, Derrick Coleman was passing out
hearing aids to the new Yorkers—AWESOME! He was meeting fans,
signing autographs and even got fitted with a new hearing device
himself.
Coleman became Deaf when he was 3 years old.
The day when he was passing out the hearing aids, the event was
called “hearing mission”. Derrick Coleman became one of the most
inspirational athletes as the first Deaf offensive player to ever
play in the NFL.
Derrick Coleman is an inspiration to many people. Coleman recently
starred in a commercial that he told about a nine year old who wrote
him a letter. He wrote a thank you letter back to
her. The nine year old is named Riley Kovalcik and has a twin named
Erin. Derrick inspired not only those girls, but
everyone else that saw the commercial whether they are Deaf or
hearing. Derrick was a Deaf football player that wore hearing aids
during the Super Bowl so he could hear what is going on. Coleman
signed as an undrafted rookie free agent out of UCLA by the
Minnesota Vikings on April 28 and played in three preseason games,
rushing 19 times for 50 yards before being released during training
camp.
The girls that he wrote the letter to, got invited by Derrick
Coleman and they received free Super Bowl tickets which has inspired
a lot of people. Their father was so pleased. "Derrick Coleman is
just a brilliant guy, I am pulling for the Seahawks. I never in my
wildest dreams thought I’d go to the super bowl, let alone one in
the New York City,” the dad told the daily news.”
Derrick Coleman is a Christian, he would say “I always say that God
blessed me this morning so I can do what I do.” Coleman was signed
by the Seattle Seahawks in December 2012. He made the 2013 season
cut after the fourth preseason game and thus was added to the 53 man
roster. Between the Seahawks and California Coleman had three
catches in 50 yards. WOW! Coleman attended Troy high school in
Fullerton California. Coleman worked with audiologist Nancy Adzovich
from the 3rd grade until he graduated high school.
"Everyone is impressed by him," said Seattle quarterback Russell
Wilson. "Not just as a player but as a person. Physically, he's a
star, straight up," said Seattle's Zach Miller. "Beyond that, he's a
lot more. He's a hero to a lot of people. He's one of those guys
that doesn't let anything hold him back," said Seattle's Cliff Avril.
Derrick Coleman was always told that Deaf people could not
participate in team sports, but he proved them wrong! “Why wasn't
Coleman drafted, even in the late rounds? It's entirely possible
teams simply didn't think he was good enough, but it had to be more
than that. Coleman rushed for over 700 yards and 11 touchdowns his
senior season. That kind of production usually earns a late-round
selection.”
Sources:
http://nfl.si.com/2014/01/30/derrick-coleman-seahawks-fans-super-bowl-tickets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrick_Coleman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrick_Coleman_(American_football)
http://ftw.usatoday.com/tag/derrick-coleman/
Also see: Derrick Coleman
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