Alum Explains Super Bowl Close Calls

As millions of Americans settled in front of the T.V. to watch the Super Bowl, David Coleman `69 took his high above the Super Bowl action at Ford Field in Detroit. Working with a partner, he reviewed instant replays during the game, a privilege he earned during a playoff of sorts among other National Football League instant replay officials. Concerning two close calls, he said, \"actually, of the two replays, one was tough and the other was easy. On the QB touchdown, we had to stay with the call on the field because we did not have a replay that provided \"indesputable visual evidence\" that he did not score. We could not see the ball, though it looked like he had it above the plane of the goal line before he came down in the field of play.\" \"The other one was quick because we showed the Seattle QB being touched by a defender before he went to the ground; therefore he was down by contact and there was no fumble.\" The Super Bowl was the culmination of Coleman`s seventh season as an instant replay video operator for the NFL. Prior to that, he was an official for college games for many years, a career he credits in part to long-time Hawken athletic director Tom Bryan who urged Coleman to participate in the Mid-American Conference. He was a referee on the college fields through the 1996 season when a hip injury forced him to retire. In 1999, the NFL recruited him for the then-new instant replay staff. While one would think that being an NFL instant replay official would be a career unto itself, it`s only part of his busy life. Retired from a 22-year military career as an army lieutenant colonel, Coleman currently works as manager of insurance benefits for the U.S. Steel and Carnegie Pension Fund in Pittsburgh. Starting March 1, Coleman will move up to be general manager for corporate diversity for U.S. Steel. Reporting to the company`s top executives, he will be responsible for advancing a company-wide diversity and inclusion strategy by recommending, developing, implementing and managing all aspects of the program. In 2004, he visited Hawken to share his knowledge and experiences during an Upper School diversity seminar.