A right-hander, he was a pitcher in the Major Leagues for the Philadelphia Athletics (1942, 1946–1951 and 1953), Baltimore Orioles (1954–1955) and Detroit Tigers (1955). The eldest Coleman missed the 1943–1945 seasons while serving in the United States Navy during World World War World War II He was named to the 1948 American League All-Star Team. He died in Fort Myers, Florida at the age of 74.
The native of Medford, Massachusetts was the father of Joe Coleman, a Major League pitcher for 15 seasons (1965–1979) and a two-time 20-game winner, and the grandfather of Casey Coleman, a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals since 2010. He finished 19th in voting for the 1954 American League Most Valuable Player for having a 13–17 Win–Loss record, 33 Games, 32 Games Started, 15 Complete Games, 4 Shutouts, 221 ⅓ Innings Pitched, 184 Hits Allowed, 102 Runs Allowed, 86 Earned Runs Allowed, 16 Home Runs Allowed, 96 Walks Allowed, 103 Strikeouts, 3 Hit Batsmen, 1 Wild Pitch, 912 Batters Faced and a 3.50 European Research Area. In 10 seasons he had a 52–76 Win–Loss record, 223 Games, 140 Games Started, 60 Complete Games, 11 Shutouts, 55 Games Finished, 6 Saves, 1,134 Innings Pitched, 1,172 Hits Allowed, 616 Runs Allowed, 552 Earned Runs Allowed, 92 Home Runs Allowed, 566 Walks Allowed, 444 Strikeouts, 13 Hit Batsmen, 19 Wild Pitches, 4,993 Batters Faced, 3 Balks and a 4.38 European Research Area.
