Sports dailybruin.com/sports
UPCOMING SPORTS: BASEBALL
The College World Series, in which UCLA will compete, begins Friday.
LONDON OLYMPICS The Summer Games, where many Bruins will compete, begin July 25.
Graduation Issue 2012
Page 1
LISA ARAGONA/ DA I LY
BRUIN
Lack of NFL Draft pick benefits former Bruin BY CHRIS NGUYEN Bruin Sports senior staff cnguyen@media.ucla.edu Throughout the National Football League Draft, prospects usually wait on the edge of their seats for their turn on stage to shake hands with Commissioner Roger Goodell or sit anxiously by a phone, waiting for a call from their future employer. It’s perhaps the bi g gest event of these players’ lives as they wait to see if their dreams of playing professionally will be rea l i zed. A s prospects watch eagerly, their nerves and stress run high, their fates out of their hands. A nd then there’s for mer UCLA running back Derrick Coleman. “I wasn’t really watching the draft, I was kind of playing basketball with my friend at the time,” Coleman said. But there was little reason
to watch. After three days, 253 players had been selected in the draft, but Coleman’s name was still on the draft board. His name was not called. *** At UCLA, Coleman did it all. He was a running back, as well as a dominant force on special teams with unparalleled versatility. Angus McClure, who was special teams coach at UCLA throughout Coleman’s career, said Coleman could play in all six phases of special teams if need be. Although Coleman made his mark on special teams – he was named the most valuable player on that unit this past season – McClure feels Coleman’s potential hasn’t been realized as a running back even thou g h he scored 19 touchdowns in his career. “Initially, we recruited him to be a fullback, we thought he
was going to grow into a fullback, and when we recruited him we were still running the West Coast offense,” McClure said. Because of the nature of UCL A’s of fen sive schemes under then-coach Norm Chow, Coleman never had the chance to develop as a fullback and instead had to adapt to a role as a running back. He was known as a hard, downhill runner in the backfield, often likened to a bowling ball or a baby bull – relentless in his ball carrying, fighting for every inch. While his position and playing style often fluctuated, his work ethic never did. “He studied our opponents and did a nice job of being prepared,” McClure said. “It’s easy to do that for offense and defense but it takes a special guy and a special attitude that Derrick has to come in and get prepared on a Monday for
a Saturday game on special teams.” During his college career, Coleman set out to prove that a genet ic hea r i n g d i sabi lity, which renders him legally deaf, would not affect his ability to play professional football. “That can never be a part of the situation at this point,” Coleman said regarding his hearing. “I started play ing football in seventh grade, and I made it to a Division I college football team, played in big games, so if I’ve gotten this far, what makes you think going a little bit further is going to stop me?” After the conclusion of his senior season and his UCLA career, Coleman continued working out in preparation for the draft. He trained ever y day for fou r mont h s i n We s t l a ke. He worked on measurables, such as speed and agility, to impress scouts.
BLAINE OHIGASHI/ DA I LY
B R U I N S E N I O R STA F F
Former Bruin Derrick Coleman was not selected during the NFL Draft, but the Minnesota Vikings picked him up as an undrafted free agent.
Although he didn’t get an invitation to the NFL combine, UCLA hosted a Pro Day, which scouts from most NFL teams, attended to watch draft-eligible Bruins perform. The scouts were impressed and several teams told Coleman they would select him in
the late rounds of the draft. After that, Coleman no longer worried about being selected in the draft. He was going to play professional football.
COLEMAN | Page 7