October 30, 2002 Athletics
Story
Gary Coleman: Using
His Wits To Succeed
At 5-9, 173 pounds, Coleman's
stature might be considered small for his position
by some
The scene of Tom, the overly eager and
always menacing cat, forever scheming to catch Jerry, who appeared
to be an outmatched and clever mouse, is not only a cartoon
played out every Saturday morning on your nearest television.
A young Gary Coleman and his brother Sam used to imitate scenes
from the "Tom and Jerry Show," and the two Colemans
would fight over which brother got to be the mouse with the
wits and which would play the conniving cat.
"I wanted to be Jerry because he's small and didn't have
a lot to work with," said Gary. "So did my brother.
But I said, 'Gary sounds a lot like Jerry, and Tom is a three-letter
word like Sam. Plus, you're the older brother and bigger, and
I'm little.' Jerry always took on Tom and outsmarted him. I
feel like Jerry on the football field."
Fifteen years later, similar scenes of what seems to be an
underdog gaining victories with his mind, will and perseverance,
are played out each week as Utah State's wide receiver Gary
Coleman takes the field.
At 5-9, 173 pounds, Coleman's stature might be considered to
be small for his position by some. Coleman says he is much like
the cartoon mouse in that he's had to acquire and use skills
other than his physical stature to succeed.
"I, like the mouse Jerry, was small and didn't have a
lot to work with," said Coleman. "I like to use my
brain more on the field. I like to make them think I'm going
to do something I'm actually not. Jerry would always fake-out
Tom, making him think he was doing one thing, then do another.
That's what I like to do with cornerbacks."
Coleman, a senior from Miami, Fla., will be celebrating this
year's homecoming far from his brother Sam, and the area where
they grew up mimicking the "Tom and Jerry Show." At
just under 2600 miles from Miami, Coleman has the distinction
of being the farthest Aggie from home this year.
If coming to Logan from Miami doesn't seem weird, consider
the following: Upon his arrival in Logan, Coleman gained 4,500
feet in elevation which is like someone in Logan moving to Alaska
to play football at the summit of a 9,000-foot peak. In addition,
Logan's population of around 43,000 is just under nine times
smaller than the city of Miami, and Logan's average temperature
is 26 degrees colder than the average temperature in Miami.
Living so far from home has given Coleman little opportunity
to showcase his abilities in front of his family. Fortunately
for Coleman, he'll have a homecoming of sorts when the Aggies
travel to Alabama to take on Troy State.
"My parents haven't had too many opportunities to see
me play," said Coleman. "Last year they came to the
South Florida, and LSU games because they were within driving
distance. I'm excited to see them when we go to Alabama."
The road to USU from Miami wasn't a straight one for Coleman.
Out of college he went to Glenville State, a Division II school
in West Virginia. After a year there he transferred to Pasadena
Junior College in California. Upon finishing at Pasadena, Coleman
was looking for a school that would give him the chance to do
what he loves most - catch footballs.
"I came to Utah State because of the coaches," said
Coleman. "They didn't bully me around, they kept it straight
with me and told me I had a good chance to catch a lot of balls.
I could really hear the sincerity in their voices."
With teammate Kevin Curtis getting much of the notoriety at
wide receiver, Coleman's consistent contributions are often
overshadowed. This year, Coleman is second on the team in both
receptions (23), and receiving yards (298). In addition, either
Coleman or Curtis has scored the first touchdown in 10 of the
last 17 games.
While these contributions may have been overlooked by the media,
Coleman's efforts have caught the eyes of the Aggie coaching
staff.
"Gary is confident in what he does," said wide receiver
coach Chris Tabor. "I have a lot of confidence in him.
He plays hard and is emotional about the game. Bottom line,
he is a competitor and it shows."
In his short Aggie career Coleman singles out the Oct. 4 game
against BYU as his most memorable because he experienced both
an extreme high and low.
"The first half of the game was amazing," said Coleman.
"We had BYU on the ropes. It was a natural high being out
there. Then we let them come back. And it hurt. It hurt a lot."
Coleman will graduate from Utah State this December and plans
on a permanent homecoming to the Miami area.
"When I graduate I plan on heading back to the Miami area
to get my master's degree in architecture. I have a couple of
nieces back there and it will be fun to see them grow up."
Like the cartoon mouse, you can be sure Coleman will continue
to use the wits that brought him to USU to succeed in the future.
By Todd P. Johnson, Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
utah
state today home/archives
prior to Sept 2002/contact
us
Brought
to you by Utah State University Public Relations and Marketing
|