John Coleman (Australian footballer)

John Coleman
John Coleman
	Coleman, 1949
Personal information
Full name	John Douglas Coleman
Date of birth	23 November 1928
Place of birth	Port Fairy, Victoria
Date of death	5 April 1973 (aged 44)
Place of death	Dromana, Victoria
Original team(s)	Hastings
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	80 kg (176 lb)
Position(s)	Full-forward
Playing career1
Years	Club
1949–1954	Essendon
Coaching career
Years	Club
1961–1967	Essendon
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1967.
Career highlights
	2× VFL premiership player: 1949, 1950; 2× Jock McHale Medal: 1962, 1965; Essendon best and fairest: 1949; 5× VFL leading goalkicker: 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953; 6× Essendon leading goalkicker: 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954; All-Australian team: 1953; Essendon Team of the Century (Full-Forward); AFL Team of the Century 1996 (Full-Forward); Australian Football Hall of Fame, Legend status 1996;
	Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

John Douglas Coleman (23 November 1928 – 5 April 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Coleman is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever Australian rules footballers. In a relatively short playing career, Coleman has the second-highest goal average in the history of the VFL/AFL (with 5.48), kicking 537 goals in 98 matches; he is behind only Peter Hudson (with 5.64). As of 2023, they are the only VFL/AFL players to average more than five goals per game. He was also known for his high-flying spectacular marks, in some cases jumping cleanly over opponents. After a knee injury ended his playing career at age 25, he returned to coach Essendon to premiership success. Coleman died in 1973, at the age of 44, of sudden coronary atheroma.

In 1981, the VFL named the Coleman Medal in his honour, awarding it to the League's leading goalkicker at the end of the home-and-away rounds. In 1996 he was one of 12 inaugural Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees bestowed "Legend" status. He is the only player amongst them to have played fewer than 100 games at senior level.