I remember my first day of basketball in the ninth grade when I met Coach Coleman. At that time, I had no idea of the impact that he would have on my life. He placed demands of excellence and discipline on me and my teammates. Understanding and buying into those demands are what mold young men, on the basketball court and in life, into winners and leaders. Not because they have developed more talent, but because they have developed more character. Love You Coach!

While sitting on the bench with five fouls in the regional finals with time running out and our 8 point lead trimmed to two; Coach turns to me and says,“If we lose this one it’s your fault.” We beat Beaumont French by two and Coach was nearly passed out in the locker room following the game. Gotta love his intensity. I still love him like a father 50 years later.

I’m proud to say that Coach Coleman was my dad. I grew up in the Memorial High School gymnasium and witnessed the positive effect he had on his players, both on and off the court. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he instilled those same strict guidelines of pride and discipline at home with me and my two brothers. I had the pleasure of playing for my dad at MHS in ’77 and ’78, and while the Coach/Coach’s Son arrangement wasn’t particularly easy for either one of us, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world.

Coach Coleman taught me how to win. He showed me how dedicating yourself to something you believe in can make all the difference in your life.

With each passing year I recall with ever greater appreciation and joy the years I had with Coach Coleman. His influence on my life is still very evident, his insistence on excellence, precision, discipline, and hard work continue to form and shape my way of living

Coach Coleman has been the single most influential person in my life second only to Jesus Christ. Only in eternity will he know how many lives he has touched.

I’ve been blessed to have seen and experienced some amazing, awe-inspiring things in my life, but Coach leading our 1984 team to the State Finals was among the best. Coach deserves every honor.

Coach impacted countless lives. While he was one of the toughest people I have ever known, he pushed us all to excellence. He built us as men, despite our fight against the rigor he demanded. It was great to see this special man’s core values etched into a statue that will last much longer than we will.

Coach drove us to work hard, and it paid off both on and off the court. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that experience.

Coach Coleman was not only a strategical genius on the court, but he also inspired us to be our very best off the court as well. I still get nervous at the start of basketball season over 50 years later!

Some people in life are so influential that you can't put into words what they mean to you, or the impact they had. I was so blessed to have played basketball for Coach Don Coleman, and be a part of the brotherhood of Memorial Basketball.