By Dillon Macias
(Edited by Darron Patterson)
For Strickland Youth Center

Last Saturday I was blessed to meet defensive standout Antonio Coleman, now a Buffalo Bills outside linebacker from Mobile, during his football camp at Strickland Youth Center.

He was a football standout at Williamson High school. During Coleman's 8th-grade summer, while all of his friends were in the streets, Antonio was at Williamson working out.

This type of work ethic got him a starting role for the Lions from his 9th-grade year through his senior season. Antonio could have gone to any college in the nation, but he chose to stay close to home and go to Auburn University. He decided early on that he wasn’t going to let football be the only thing in his life, and graduated with a degree in criminal justice in just three years.

“I knew I’d have to have something other than football to make my life complete,” said Coleman. “That’s the one thing I want anybody who plays sports to know … that you must have something else to get you ahead in life.”

In his senior season at Auburn Coleman was named to the All-SEC team at defensive end.
He led the league in tackles and sacks, and was one of Auburn’s key players on a defense that held Alabama Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram to 30 yards rushing in the Iron Bowl.

I asked him Coleman how he’s adapting with the switch from college to the pros?
He said it’s “not that different,” but that now “football is a business where everyone out there is trying to feed his family.”

He said he’s still going out there and doing what he loves … hitting!

I also asked him how hard college was with football and grades to juggle.

“College was all about time management,” he said. “I had to wake up at 5:30 in the morning and didn't get back to the dorm till 10:30 at night. If you were two 2 minutes late for class coach would have you up the morning doing 2x4s (sprints) with a 15-lb vest on.”

Coleman said that out of the 25 recruits in his freshman class only 6 graduated.”

I had a blast at the camp.
Williamson High School's football coaches and two of their offensive linemen ran the camp. They all taught us a lot.
I know now why Williamson always has a good football team … because the coaches teach the players football.

I also now have a new player to watch … #59 of the Buffalo Bills, Antonio Coleman.

And to the coaches at Williamson, Thank You.

After all, football is the only sport where you can hit someone as hard as you want and not go to jail.