G&G looks back on 1991, the most pivotal season in Mill Coleman's years at Michigan State
Mill Coleman's high school football years were the stuff of legend. "Mill the Thrill" was the first sophomore to start at quarterback for Harrison High. He led the Hawks to three straight state Class B finals, including back-to-back championships (1988 and 1989). He set numerous state high school passing records, such as yards (7,464) and touchdowns (77). Detroit Free Press prep reporter Mick McCabe selected him for the "All-Metro", "All-State", and "All-Decade" teams. He was listed among the Free Press' "Best of the Midwest" and The Detroit News' "Blue Chips (top Michigan college-bound players)".
Coleman's legend grew well beyond the city limits of Farmington Hills. The Free Press annually held a poll for "Michigan's Best" outstanding sportsman of the year. He finished 7th in both 1988 and 1989. In 1988, he even beat out the hero of that year's World Series, former Tiger Kirk Gibson.
In February 1990, he announced his decision to play football for Michigan State University. At the time, he was expected to eventually become the Spartans' starting quarterback, but a year later, circumstances changed and he had to adapt to the changes. Now, G&G looks back on Mill Coleman's 1991 college football season.
SPRING/SUMMER 1991
In the previous season (1990), senior Dan Enos was the starter at quarterback. As a result, Mill Coleman did not play that season, which meant he would be eligible to play for a fifth season.
Pre-season rigors begin with the April 27, 1991 Green-White scrimmage. Here, half of the team faces the other half. All that matters is looking good in the coaches' eyes.
Coleman competes against three other quarterbacks: Junior Bret Johnson, a transfer from UCLA; junior John Gieselman (Birmingham Brother Rice) and redshirt sophomore Jim Miller (Waterford Kettering).
Coleman, playing for the Green, completes 4 of 8 passes for 56 yards, plus a 16-yard-run. The Green lowers the boom on the White, 22-10.
It seems like Coleman at least in contention to become the new starter at QB. But there's one big issue: MSU has switched to an offense better suited to Johnson than to Coleman.
The switch began when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired away offensive coordinator Morris Watts in March 1991. Watts played a big part in recruiting Coleman. Also, as Millard Coleman Sr. put it, under Watts, MSU used "a carbon copy of the Harrison offense." The offense would not be the same without Watts, who had been at MSU since 1986.
Between Watts' departure and Johnson's arrival, Coleman Sr. is concerned. (You may remember that his promotion at State Farm Insurance led the Colemans to move from Albion to Farmington Hills.) Now a regional manager for State Farm, the elder Coleman tries to avoid involvement in the MSU coaches' decisions, but he wants to see Perles take better advantage of Mill's skill set. The plays the MSU coaches use in the Green-White scrimmage are better suited for traditional drop-back QBs like Johnson; Mill, on the other hand, excels at rolling out of the pocket, stretching the defense and keeping that defense guessing with his combined running and passing ability.
Coleman Sr. sees a worst-case scenario--Johnson starting in '91 and '92, Miller taking the reins in '93, and Coleman finally starting in '94. "If you look at the history of MSU quarterbacks--and this is something I admire in George--when he selects a quarterback he sticks with that quarterback through good and bad," he said. Indeed, in Perles' previous eight seasons as MSU head coach, he had primarily used only three signal-callers: Enos (1989-90), Bobby McAllister (1986-88) and Dave Yarema (1983-85).
Coleman's situation doesn't improve at all over the summer. He is a longshot when Perles announces that he will name his starting quarterback on the September 8 "George Perles Show."
When that weekend rolls around, Perles names Bret Johnson as his starter. Jim Miller will back him up, followed by Coleman.
SEPTEMBER 1991: A ROUGH START
In the final days before facing the Central Michigan Chippewas, MSU's #2 wide receiver, Brian Howard, suffers a knee injury that puts him out for the season--and opens a new door for Coleman. Coleman works out at wide receiver and on special teams (returning kickoffs).
The CMU game is a disaster. The Spartans, ranked 18th in the nation, play as though they were second- or third-string CMU players. Miller replaces Johnson in the second half. The Chippewas win, 20-3, in a major upset, after which former Michigan Wolverines coach Bo Schembechler, now a college football analyst for ABC Sports, chides MSU's athletic department for ever scheduling the game. Coleman's Spartan debut is anything but memorable. He plays a few downs at wide receiver, with no receptions.
The Notre Dame game is even worse. Coming off a loss to Michigan, the Fighting Irish rout the Spartans, 49-10. Once again, Johnson only plays the first half. The MSU defense is a sieve. Coleman finally gets some action in the 4th quarter, returning a kickoff 14 yards, but at that point, the game is already far out of reach.
Next up is Rutgers. Johnson doesn't even last through the first half. But the real surprise comes when Miller suffers a concussion. Thriller time? No! Johnson goes back in, and nothing good happens. An 8-yard rush on a double reverse and a 24-yard reception are all Coleman gets. Ultimately, Mr. Magoo's alma mater scores a last-minute touchdown to nip MSU, 14-7. Perles nonchalantly says of Coleman, "He looked good where he was today." And he rises higher on the wide receiver depth chart.
OCTOBER 1991: RISING AT RECEIVER
Remember that bit about Perles sticking with his quarterbacks? Forget it. Perles finally wises up and starts Miller against Indiana. But the Spartan offense bogs down again. The Hoosiers run away, 31-0. Coleman finally lines up behind center, but only twice, running the ball himself both times for 5 yards.
On the next day's "George Perles Show," the host asks about the few bright spots in these 4 awful games, first bringing up Coleman. Perles responds: "He can catch the ball, he runs reverses, he returns kickoffs... We're looking for some spots where he can succeed because he'll be a main player on the team for years to come."
The following Saturday, Coleman faces the team that spurned him, the Michigan Wolverines. The question is not who will win, and U-M makes sure of that, scoring three touchdowns before MSU gets on the board.
With the Wolverines up, 28-7, in the third quarter, the Spartans are on the U-M 10-yard-line. Now Coleman's first shining moment for MSU would come. The call by WXYT Spartan football announcer Russ Small:
"In motion to the left goes Mill Coleman. Rolling to the left, Jim Miller has backside pressure, but he gets the ball to COLEMAN!"
Coleman sees Wolverines closing in. He dives for the orange pylon on the near left corner of the end zone.
"HE DIVES . . . "
"AND . . . "
"No indication yet."
On the artificial turf of Spartan Stadium, diving is a act born from desperation. Desperation that built up from a season on the bench, unfavorable offseason circumstances, and an 0-4 start in which MSU scored just 20 points. The officials had to signal "touchdown" for Coleman and the Spartans. After much deliberation, they finally do.
Coleman in action against Michigan. #22 for the Wolverines is future Pro Bowl CB Ty Law.
Coleman also throws and completes his first pass in this game. With Michigan leading for good, 38-14, in the 3rd quarter, Coleman gets the ball on a reverse play and throws it 21 yards to Courtney Hawkins.
Coleman gets 80 all-purpose yards, more than he got in the first four games combined. Perhaps not coincidentally, MSU scores more points than in their first four games combined. But the Wolverines keep MSU winless, 45-28.
Things have gotten better each week for Coleman thus far. He debuted against CMU, returned his first kickoff against Notre Dame, caught his first pass against Rutgers, lined up behind center against Indiana, and now scores his first touchdown and completes his first pass against U-M. But Coleman wants to win more than attain any more firsts.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1991:
Against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Spartans finally put one in the "W" column, 20-12. But from there, they lose 3 of the last 5, including a pitiful loss to Northwestern.
Coleman has played in all 11 games, finishing the season with 16 receptions, 156 yards and a touchdown. Bret Johnson can't say that--he only played in 3 games. For 1992, Mill the Thrill can become a starting wide receiver (starting WR Courtney Hawkins will turn pro) or compete for the starting QB position. Coleman's will to contribute to the Spartans--in any capacity--has overcome whatever frustration he had of not being their starting quarterback.
AFTER 1991
In March 1992, Morris Watts returned as MSU's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Watts left the Tampa Bay Bucs because they rearranged their coaching staff with the hiring of new head coach Sam Wyche. Watts' return was expected to boost Coleman's stock, especially where the possibility of playing quarterback for the Spartans was concered. Watts certainly agreed: "The most foolish thing you can do is keep him off the field."
For the 1992 season, starter Jim Miller and Coleman cut a deal. Coleman could play quarterback in short-yardage and goal-line situations. The rest of the time, Miller would be the passer and Coleman would the receiver. Miller added, "I told him I'm going to get him the ball so he can put moves on people and get us down the field."
As a starter at wide receiver, Coleman had 586 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns on 37 receptions. He added 2 more touchdowns as a runner, one of which was on a memorable fake field goal attempt against Indiana. With the Spartans trailing the Hoosiers, 21-7, with less than a minute left in the first half, MSU put in Coleman as the placeholder instead of backup QB John Gieselman. Coleman took the snap and ran with it for the score, and Michigan State roared back in the second half to take back the Old Brass Spitoon, 42-31. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of the 1992 season.
Coleman running for a TD on a fake field goal against Indiana in 1992.
Coleman never did become the regular starting quarterback for Michigan State--he played flanker the vast majority of the time, and didn't throw a single touchdown pass--but he did see action at quarterback in 1992 when Jim Miller and John Gieselman got hurt. Above all, he was willing to adapt to changes in his situation and that willingness yielded great benefits. In four seasons with MSU, Coleman had 126 receptions for 1,813 yards and 8 touchdowns, and he might have been selected in the 1995 NFL Draft were it not for a knee injury he suffered in 1994.
Coleman rolling out to pass... or was this an option play?
After leaving MSU, he tried out with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears as a receiver and kick returner, but wound up on the practice squad for each team. The only time he was a player on the active roster of a professional football was as a wide receiver with the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes in 1997-98. In 1998, he suffered a broken shoulder on a kickoff return and that injury ended his football playing career. (Mike Teachman, HHS math teacher and basketball coach, recalled that the injury happened because on the previous play, Coleman had returned a kickoff for a touchdown, but it was nullified by a Montreal penalty, meaning the kickoff had to be done over.)
(Editor's note 3-31-2010: In November 2000, at our ten-year reunion, I had asked Mill if he had any interest in trying out for the XFL, the new professional football league being started up by World Wrestling Entertainment czar Vince McMahon and NBC. He said he did not. He now owns and runs a football school, Mill Coleman Football Fundamentals, which is located in Farmington Hills.)
NOTE: Articles from the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and Farmington Observer contributed to this retrospective. The Free Press articles were written by Perry A. Farrell and Drew Sharp. The Detroit News articles were written by Terry Cabell and George Cantor. The Farmington Observer articles were written by Dan O'Meara and Steve Kowalski.
No comments:
Post a Comment