NFL Carolina Panthers Honor John Coleman

By Bro. Byron Putman

CHARLOTTE, NC - On Saturday December 11, 2021, The Carolina Panthers christened the West Lobby entrance at Bank of America Stadium the “John Coleman Lobby,” honoring the general security guard who greeted people at the front desk for 25 years.

Former Panther players were in attendance, Steve Smith, Muhsin Muhammad, Brad Hoover, Mike Rucker and Tre Boston to name a few.

Everybody loves the guy. “John Coleman is a soul-lifter,” Panthers owner David Tepper said. “I remember the doom and gloom of the 2001 season,” Rucker said. “We were 1-15, and here was this guy smiling at us when we came in every day, making us feel better. That meant something.”

Coleman and his wife, Elaine, have do not have kids, but Brother Coleman treated all the players as if they were his sons. He will have a plaque honoring him that will hang in the John Coleman Lobby at the Stadium. Coleman worked at the front desk of the lobby for 25 years, greeting players, coaches, and everyone else who came through the door each day.

“I saw them the day they walked in the door after getting drafted, and I saw them the day they walked out the door for the last time,” Coleman said. “And I saw them a lot in between. Sometimes they’d come by and talk for a few minutes. The NFL is a family, you know. I’d make sure they knew that.”

An example of how much Coleman was well thought of, George Seifert only thanked a few people by name when he got fired as head coach after the 2001 season; Coleman was one of them. Former Panther Mike Rucker timed his retirement announcement so Coleman could attend.

After purchasing the franchise and meeting John, Tepper asked Coleman for his business card that day so he could have Coleman’s phone number. Coleman said he didn’t have any, and so one of Tepper’s first acts when he bought the Panthers was to get Coleman a set of the cards to hand out, now in a new role as team “ambassador.”

Although officially retired, Brother Coleman still likes to work and works two days a week in Rock Hill at the Panthers’ under-construction new training complex. Coleman also volunteers with the park and recreation department in Rock Hill and at a local YMCA. On Coleman’s dedication day with the Panthers, Tepper spoke without notes before unveiling the new “John Coleman Lobby” sign. “The things that John Coleman could do for you, for your soul, to lift you up,” Tepper said later in an interview. “When you won a game, lost a game. Just the wisdom, the words of encouragement … The sunshine he brought into your life. And all the sunshine he’s brought for all the years he’s been here … he was like a refresher for your soul.”

Cookies honoring Brother Coleman were part of the reception on Saturday. The “96” refers to 1996, the year Coleman came to work for the Panthers.

“I could still use Mr. Coleman every day in this building, I can tell you that,” Tepper said. Deeply religious, Coleman asked that a prayer be included during Saturday’s ceremony, as well as a song that he sang along with several his fraternity brothers.