Jump to content


DT Ron Coleman


Recommended Posts


Nebraska State Wrestling: Burger with everything

 

Study the picture of Ron Coleman Jr.

 

021909jlburger.jpg

Ron Coleman goes by the nickname "Burger," and he is what he eats. Before districts, he ate a hamburger and bacon topped with an egg.

 

You immediately notice eyes full of desire and intensity. Who knows the things they'll see on future playing fields and wrestling mats?

 

You notice the hamburger, or should we say heptaburger - seven thick slabs of beef stacked high. You don't want to be that hamburger. More on that later.

 

But notice the hands. The mitts caressing that burger are the same ones that manhandle some of the largest and most powerful high school wrestlers in Nebraska. You don't want those hands on you.

 

The large hands were the first thing his father noticed when Ron Jr. was born. Not long afterwards, Ron Coleman Sr. discovered they came powered with a vise-like grip.

 

Today, they are a product of both nature and nurture.

 

When baby Ron was just a few months old, big Ron discovered that if his son were lifted up to the bathroom shower curtain rod, he'd instinctively latch on to it. The first time Ron Sr. let him go, baby Ron hung there for 40 seconds before dropping into Dad's arms.

 

Not long after that, the youngster crawled into the kitchen and somehow wrapped those hands around the handle on the oven door. When the door came crashing down, baby and all, those big hands still clung to the handle.

 

"I said 'Hey, it looks like that work on his grip paid off,'" the elder Coleman remembers with a laugh. "My wife didn't think it was that funny."

 

Two-sport star

Ron Coleman Jr. is now a junior at Omaha North and more than halfway through a high school career that, when it's over, could be one of the greats in state history.

 

This morning, the kid known as "Burger" begins a quest for a third Class A title when the state wrestling tournament gets under way at Qwest Center Omaha.

 

After gold medals at 215 pounds the previous two years, the 6-foot, 240-pound Coleman is the top-ranked heavyweight in Class A and in the Top 5 of some national ratings at the weight class.

 

Adding to the intrigue is that Burger is no whopper when it comes to heavyweights. He weighs 45 pounds less then the heavyweight limit of 285.

 

As interesting as it is to watch him handle larger athletes on the wrestling mat, it's even more intriguing to ponder what his future holds. Although he's a dominating wrestler, it's likely that his sport of choice in college will be football. But what will the final product look like?

Nebraska sees him as a defensive tackle, which would mean adding weight while somehow keeping his quickness. Notre Dame has expressed interest in him at fullback and linebacker, which would mean perhaps battling natural growth and staying closer to his current size.

 

Speak to those who know him, and few doubt Coleman will eventually be whatever he sets his mind to. A made-to-order Burger, if you will.

 

"I've never worked with someone that has the size and speed and natural gifts," Vikings wrestling coach Anders Christensen said. "I don't even think I've ever been around one."

 

Nothing will surprise Coleman's father, a decorated former North High wrestler himself. The elder Coleman said only once has he really been taken aback by his son's accomplishments.

 

It came at an eighth-grade track meet. Ron Jr. had already won the shot put and discus - no big surprise, since at age 11, in his first try at the shot put, he'd broken a record held by former Omaha Central and Iowa football star Larry Station.

 

But then Burger was lining up to run a leg in the 400 relay.

 

"When he took the baton, I fell back in my seat," Ron Sr. said, remembering the burst of speed. "I had a moment."

What's in a name?

Ron Coleman Jr. devours hamburgers, among many other things. When he was young, Ron Sr. and others called him Hamburger Brown. It was shortened to "Burger" not long after and remains the name most call him.

 

And he still eats burgers - a special concoction a week ago, before the district meet, included hamburger patties and bacon topped with an egg, one of the perks of wrestling at heavyweight at only 240 pounds.

 

But as he has grown, the list of what he doesn't eat has become shorter than the list of what he does eat, which is just about anything.

 

The biggest growth spurt came around age 11, and it was more than just going from a size 10½ shoe to a 14.

 

That was the year Ron Jr. faced a 13-year-old 45 pounds heavier at the prestigious Tulsa Nationals in Oklahoma.

 

"It was the first time he ever said he was worried about a match," Ron Sr. said. "The kid he was wrestling had a mustache."

 

Burger won that match and the Tulsa tournament title. He hasn't lost many since. He capped a 31-4 freshman campaign with a state title, followed that up with a 30-1 sophomore season and another state title and heads into today's action with a 30-0 record.

 

He often takes down his opponents and lets them up to accumulate points, a practice normally reserved for dominant wrestlers in the lower weights.

 

"I respect the heck out of him," Omaha Burke wrestling coach Wes Boehm said. "The best thing about him is he's a gentleman. He can destroy you on the mat, be an absolute warrior, and then be a gentleman off of it."

 

Sudden impact

Watch tape of Burger on the football field and it takes only a few clips to realize he relishes contact.

 

His highlights typically show him running into an opponent with the force of a cinder block dropped from a five-story building.

 

North football coach Larry Martin smiles when he talks about the then-freshman with the big smile who turned heads in his first practices as a Viking - and his teammates included a quarterback and a wide receiver who would go on to sign with Big 12 schools.

 

The leverage, balance and momentum utilized in wrestling translate well to the football field. It's usually Coleman who is moving forward after contact.

 

"Certain kids are good athletes," Martin says, "and certain ones, when the pressure's on, they want it. Burger wants it. If you're going to beat him, you're going to have to give everything you have, and it still may not be enough."

 

Martin moved Coleman from defensive line to linebacker as a sophomore and back to the line last fall as a junior. Both moves came out of necessity because of injuries to others, and both were fine with Coleman, who was honored as a first-team All-Nebraska defensive lineman after the season.

 

He wasn't bad on offense, either. In his last four games, after shaking off his own injury problems, he ran for 463 yards and 13 touchdowns.

 

Before he reaches college, he knows he'll have to choose between managing weight to play linebacker or bulking up for the D-line.

 

Whatever the decision, Martin said, Coleman will excel.

 

"Burger has that ability that no matter where they take him at, he has a tremendous work ethic and desire," Martin said. College recruiters love measurables, Martin adds, but it's hard for them to measure heart, "and he's got a big one."

Higher power

There's more to Burger than wrestling pins and pulverizing gridiron hits. There's a spiritual side.

 

One day, Coleman's parents were consoling each other on the passing of Ron Sr.'s grandmother and Jr.'s great-grandmother. They were talking about her being gone.

 

Overhearing the discussion, 6-year-old Ron Jr. pointed to his heart and said, "Dad, she's not gone. She's right here."

 

"That's deep, especially for a 6-year-old," Ron Sr. said. "He's always had that special spiritual connection inside of him."

 

Coleman regularly talks about becoming a youth minister after college. He says his faith grew stronger in the early stages of this past football season. Battling nagging injuries, he said he put it in a higher power's hands to get him through the tough times.

 

"I've always been spiritually led," he said, "but after I kept getting hurt, I realized that I needed to get a full understanding."

 

He understands that his goals seem outrageous to some. For instance, as an eighth-grader, he told his dad he wanted to play varsity football as a freshman and win four state wrestling championships.

 

"I like to set goals that other people think are insane or not reachable," he said. "I see myself and everyone else as equals, but I set my work at a higher standard. To me, a goal has to have a plan. A goal without a plan is nothing but a wish."

 

Link: OWH

Link to comment
Nebraska State Wrestling: Burger with everything

 

Study the picture of Ron Coleman Jr.

 

021909jlburger.jpg

Ron Coleman goes by the nickname "Burger," and he is what he eats. Before districts, he ate a hamburger and bacon topped with an egg.

 

You immediately notice eyes full of desire and intensity. Who knows the things they'll see on future playing fields and wrestling mats?

 

You notice the hamburger, or should we say heptaburger - seven thick slabs of beef stacked high. You don't want to be that hamburger. More on that later.

 

But notice the hands. The mitts caressing that burger are the same ones that manhandle some of the largest and most powerful high school wrestlers in Nebraska. You don't want those hands on you.

 

The large hands were the first thing his father noticed when Ron Jr. was born. Not long afterwards, Ron Coleman Sr. discovered they came powered with a vise-like grip.

 

Today, they are a product of both nature and nurture.

 

When baby Ron was just a few months old, big Ron discovered that if his son were lifted up to the bathroom shower curtain rod, he'd instinctively latch on to it. The first time Ron Sr. let him go, baby Ron hung there for 40 seconds before dropping into Dad's arms.

 

Not long after that, the youngster crawled into the kitchen and somehow wrapped those hands around the handle on the oven door. When the door came crashing down, baby and all, those big hands still clung to the handle.

 

"I said 'Hey, it looks like that work on his grip paid off,'" the elder Coleman remembers with a laugh. "My wife didn't think it was that funny."

 

Two-sport star

Ron Coleman Jr. is now a junior at Omaha North and more than halfway through a high school career that, when it's over, could be one of the greats in state history.

 

This morning, the kid known as "Burger" begins a quest for a third Class A title when the state wrestling tournament gets under way at Qwest Center Omaha.

 

After gold medals at 215 pounds the previous two years, the 6-foot, 240-pound Coleman is the top-ranked heavyweight in Class A and in the Top 5 of some national ratings at the weight class.

 

Adding to the intrigue is that Burger is no whopper when it comes to heavyweights. He weighs 45 pounds less then the heavyweight limit of 285.

 

As interesting as it is to watch him handle larger athletes on the wrestling mat, it's even more intriguing to ponder what his future holds. Although he's a dominating wrestler, it's likely that his sport of choice in college will be football. But what will the final product look like?

Nebraska sees him as a defensive tackle, which would mean adding weight while somehow keeping his quickness. Notre Dame has expressed interest in him at fullback and linebacker, which would mean perhaps battling natural growth and staying closer to his current size.

 

Speak to those who know him, and few doubt Coleman will eventually be whatever he sets his mind to. A made-to-order Burger, if you will.

 

"I've never worked with someone that has the size and speed and natural gifts," Vikings wrestling coach Anders Christensen said. "I don't even think I've ever been around one."

 

Nothing will surprise Coleman's father, a decorated former North High wrestler himself. The elder Coleman said only once has he really been taken aback by his son's accomplishments.

 

It came at an eighth-grade track meet. Ron Jr. had already won the shot put and discus - no big surprise, since at age 11, in his first try at the shot put, he'd broken a record held by former Omaha Central and Iowa football star Larry Station.

 

But then Burger was lining up to run a leg in the 400 relay.

 

"When he took the baton, I fell back in my seat," Ron Sr. said, remembering the burst of speed. "I had a moment."

What's in a name?

Ron Coleman Jr. devours hamburgers, among many other things. When he was young, Ron Sr. and others called him Hamburger Brown. It was shortened to "Burger" not long after and remains the name most call him.

 

And he still eats burgers - a special concoction a week ago, before the district meet, included hamburger patties and bacon topped with an egg, one of the perks of wrestling at heavyweight at only 240 pounds.

 

But as he has grown, the list of what he doesn't eat has become shorter than the list of what he does eat, which is just about anything.

 

The biggest growth spurt came around age 11, and it was more than just going from a size 10½ shoe to a 14.

 

That was the year Ron Jr. faced a 13-year-old 45 pounds heavier at the prestigious Tulsa Nationals in Oklahoma.

 

"It was the first time he ever said he was worried about a match," Ron Sr. said. "The kid he was wrestling had a mustache."

 

Burger won that match and the Tulsa tournament title. He hasn't lost many since. He capped a 31-4 freshman campaign with a state title, followed that up with a 30-1 sophomore season and another state title and heads into today's action with a 30-0 record.

 

He often takes down his opponents and lets them up to accumulate points, a practice normally reserved for dominant wrestlers in the lower weights.

 

"I respect the heck out of him," Omaha Burke wrestling coach Wes Boehm said. "The best thing about him is he's a gentleman. He can destroy you on the mat, be an absolute warrior, and then be a gentleman off of it."

 

Sudden impact

Watch tape of Burger on the football field and it takes only a few clips to realize he relishes contact.

 

His highlights typically show him running into an opponent with the force of a cinder block dropped from a five-story building.

 

North football coach Larry Martin smiles when he talks about the then-freshman with the big smile who turned heads in his first practices as a Viking - and his teammates included a quarterback and a wide receiver who would go on to sign with Big 12 schools.

 

The leverage, balance and momentum utilized in wrestling translate well to the football field. It's usually Coleman who is moving forward after contact.

 

"Certain kids are good athletes," Martin says, "and certain ones, when the pressure's on, they want it. Burger wants it. If you're going to beat him, you're going to have to give everything you have, and it still may not be enough."

 

Martin moved Coleman from defensive line to linebacker as a sophomore and back to the line last fall as a junior. Both moves came out of necessity because of injuries to others, and both were fine with Coleman, who was honored as a first-team All-Nebraska defensive lineman after the season.

 

He wasn't bad on offense, either. In his last four games, after shaking off his own injury problems, he ran for 463 yards and 13 touchdowns.

 

Before he reaches college, he knows he'll have to choose between managing weight to play linebacker or bulking up for the D-line.

 

Whatever the decision, Martin said, Coleman will excel.

 

"Burger has that ability that no matter where they take him at, he has a tremendous work ethic and desire," Martin said. College recruiters love measurables, Martin adds, but it's hard for them to measure heart, "and he's got a big one."

Higher power

There's more to Burger than wrestling pins and pulverizing gridiron hits. There's a spiritual side.

 

One day, Coleman's parents were consoling each other on the passing of Ron Sr.'s grandmother and Jr.'s great-grandmother. They were talking about her being gone.

 

Overhearing the discussion, 6-year-old Ron Jr. pointed to his heart and said, "Dad, she's not gone. She's right here."

 

"That's deep, especially for a 6-year-old," Ron Sr. said. "He's always had that special spiritual connection inside of him."

 

Coleman regularly talks about becoming a youth minister after college. He says his faith grew stronger in the early stages of this past football season. Battling nagging injuries, he said he put it in a higher power's hands to get him through the tough times.

 

"I've always been spiritually led," he said, "but after I kept getting hurt, I realized that I needed to get a full understanding."

 

He understands that his goals seem outrageous to some. For instance, as an eighth-grader, he told his dad he wanted to play varsity football as a freshman and win four state wrestling championships.

 

"I like to set goals that other people think are insane or not reachable," he said. "I see myself and everyone else as equals, but I set my work at a higher standard. To me, a goal has to have a plan. A goal without a plan is nothing but a wish."

 

Link: OWH

 

 

I will believe it when I see him line up at DT.

Link to comment

Anyone know what coaches are waiting on for the offer? Sure seems like we would be absolutely crazy to miss out on this guy. How could you not want this guy...DT LB FB...coaches can figure that out, but anyone with that kind of versatility will be a great addition.

Probably want to get him into camp and see how all of that new weight looks on him. He might have been running with the LBs last year in camp. :dunno

 

Of course if he also grows into those feet in the mean time, all the better. OTOH the staff seems to really like big guys in the back field.

Link to comment

Anyone know what coaches are waiting on for the offer? Sure seems like we would be absolutely crazy to miss out on this guy. How could you not want this guy...DT LB FB...coaches can figure that out, but anyone with that kind of versatility will be a great addition.

Probably want to get him into camp and see how all of that new weight looks on him. He might have been running with the LBs last year in camp. :dunno

 

Of course if he also grows into those feet in the mean time, all the better. OTOH the staff seems to really like big guys in the back field.

 

I watched the playoff game with Papio South last fall and he made a TD run where he weaved through traffic and read the running lanes like a speed and juke back. I knew he was big for a back but I was shocked when I found out how much he weighed. I think his athletic ability is top notch. AND big backs don't usually impress me that much. I'm much more of a scatback guy. Anyone else see that game and remember the run I'm talking about?

Link to comment

Trust me, if Ron Coleman wants to come to Nebraska, there will be a spot for him. He is an absolute freak, and will have quite an impressive scholarship list when it is all said and done. Keep in mind, he also plays d-line.

 

Where would he play? He isn't 6 feet from everything I have heard, so unless he is Sedrick Ellis reincarnated, the likelihood he plays DT is slim. We are short on schollies next year, so do we offer another guy who will play fullback in an offense that does not use it all that much now?

 

Coleman is a good player, no doubt, but not necessarily our type of player for next recruiting season. JMO.

Willie, I agree that he doesn't exactly fit us to a T, but keep in mind that Bo has used shorter defensive linemen before. I hope that we pursue him to the fullest, because I personally think he is simply the best football player in the state for the 2010 class.

 

I can never remember Bo recruiting a defensive lineman as short as Ron is. Kid is definitely not 6 feet.

 

Andrew Rodriguez has any player from the '10 class covered in the state. Kid is a monster who just needs a kick in the butt to play hard even against lesser competition. But like he showed at any camp he was at, he will be one of the best linemen there.

 

 

Just because he is rated best in the state doesnt mean NU should offer (even though Rodriguez clearly is), and to add to the football comment- it would be the second year in a row to offer a fullback and I see that unlikely

 

Personally I think he is too slow for a fullback or linebacker and too small for a dt, but he still might grow and NU's weight staff is great so we will have to see.

 

If I were NU Coleman would be more of a backup plan, Wrestlers usually do good on the lines but I just dont personally see him as a D-1 player (great NE high school, but I dont know college) the times I have seen him

Link to comment

Trust me, if Ron Coleman wants to come to Nebraska, there will be a spot for him. He is an absolute freak, and will have quite an impressive scholarship list when it is all said and done. Keep in mind, he also plays d-line.

 

Where would he play? He isn't 6 feet from everything I have heard, so unless he is Sedrick Ellis reincarnated, the likelihood he plays DT is slim. We are short on schollies next year, so do we offer another guy who will play fullback in an offense that does not use it all that much now?

 

Coleman is a good player, no doubt, but not necessarily our type of player for next recruiting season. JMO.

Willie, I agree that he doesn't exactly fit us to a T, but keep in mind that Bo has used shorter defensive linemen before. I hope that we pursue him to the fullest, because I personally think he is simply the best football player in the state for the 2010 class.

 

I can never remember Bo recruiting a defensive lineman as short as Ron is. Kid is definitely not 6 feet.

 

Andrew Rodriguez has any player from the '10 class covered in the state. Kid is a monster who just needs a kick in the butt to play hard even against lesser competition. But like he showed at any camp he was at, he will be one of the best linemen there.

 

 

Just because he is rated best in the state doesnt mean NU should offer (even though Rodriguez clearly is), and to add to the football comment- it would be the second year in a row to offer a fullback and I see that unlikely

 

Personally I think he is too slow for a fullback or linebacker and too small for a dt, but he still might grow and NU's weight staff is great so we will have to see.

 

If I were NU Coleman would be more of a backup plan, Wrestlers usually do good on the lines but I just dont personally see him as a D-1 player (great NE high school, but I dont know college) the times I have seen him

Link to comment

Could he end up at DE? He is a little bit short but hes short for DT too. From everything that has been written hes strong enough to play line and quick enough to play LB so why not let him add about 20 lbs and put him at DE.

 

I think they prefer the height at DE for the ability of knocking down passes, ala Potter and that with height comes long arms that help to get around 6'7" tackles

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Visit the Sports Illustrated Husker site



×
×
  • Create New...