Steve Coleman played third base and catcher for the Chaps in the 1980s and was an integral member of the 1983 NAIA National Championship team, earning Honorable Mention All-American Honors at third base.
A career .329 hitter, Coleman played in 207 games in three year with the Chaps, transferring in as a sophomore after playing his freshman season at the University of Oklahoma. He collected 220 career hits, including 53 doubles, one triple and 27 home runs, driving in 167 runs.
His sophomore season was his best at the plate, as he hit .350 with 20 doubles (fourth-most in the nation) and 14 home runs. His .477 on-base percentage and 10 game-winning hits both ranked second-best on the team. Perhaps no game-winning hit was bigger than the one he hit against Lewis-Clark State on June 5. The Warriors had a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth and would have claimed the crown had they held onto their lead. Chet Feldman worked a leadoff walk to start the bottom half of the inning, and Coleman followed him up with a monstrous home run to right field that gave LCC a 4-3, which they held onto before winning the following day (12-9) to claim the title. His performance that season earned him the All-America selection as well as a spot on the All-District VIII and All-Area II teams.
Coleman moved to catcher for his junior and senior seasons and saw his hitting tail off some. His batting average dropped to .310 in 1984 and then all the way to .287 in his senior season as the wear and tear of catching caught up to him.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education in 1985, Coleman was hired as an assistant baseball and football coach at Coronado High School in Lubbock in 1986, where he remained until 1990 before coaching at Frenship High School and Odessa Permian High School.
In 1997, Coleman was named the head baseball coach at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, where he has remained ever since. He is the school's all-time leader in wins and has led the Cowboys to the American Southwest Conference Playoffs on 17 different occasions, including finals appearances in 2001, 2005 and 2016. He has coached 123 All-American Southwest Conference selections and seven All-Americans.
He was inducted into the LCU Hall of Honor and 1996 and more recently inducted into the Lubbock ISD Hall of Honor for his performance as a player at Monterrey High School.
Coleman married the former Lisa Everett in 1982. They have two adult sons, Chad and Brad, both of whom played for their father at HSU. Chad is a coach at Abilene Cooper and Brad lives in Abilene. They also have three grandchildren.
