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12 Facts About Walt Coleman

1.

Walt Coleman III was born on January 16,1952 and is a former American football official who officiated in the National Football League from the 1989 season until the end of the 2018 season.

2.

Walt Coleman worked for the Arkansas Activities Association, the governing body for high school athletics in Arkansas, for 14 years before moving up to the college level.

3.

Walt Coleman was never promoted to referee during his college officiating career since he could not justify heading a crew with his five years experience in each conference.

4.

Walt Coleman served as a line judge for the first six seasons before being promoted to referee at the start of the 1995 NFL season when Dale Hamer was forced to sit out that season after undergoing open-heart surgery.

5.

Walt Coleman made an instant replay call on January 19,2002, in a game that led to its moniker as the "Tuck Rule Game".

6.

Walt Coleman never officiated another Raiders game the rest of his career.

7.

Walt Coleman was the head official in the 2003 AFC Championship Game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

8.

Walt Coleman officiated the 2012 Thanksgiving Day game between the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions.

9.

Coleman's son, Walt Coleman IV, joined the NFL as an official in the 2015 season.

10.

Walt Coleman was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, joining his father, a 1994 inductee.

11.

Outside of officiating, Walt Coleman serves on many local boards and associations including the Little Rock Boys and Girls Club and Greater Little Rock YMCA.

12.

Walt Coleman is a former president of the Arkansas Dairy Products Association and Major Sports Association of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.