undated
On Facebook - yes
2006
INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN SENIOR CHIEF PETTY OFFICER WILLIAM L. COLEMAN UNITED STATES NAVY Senior Chief Coleman, a native of Huntsville, Alabama, enlisted in the United States Navy in March 1986. He completed Basic training at Naval Training Center Great Lakes, IL; upon completion of recruit training Senior Chief Coleman reported to Service School Command, Naval Training Center San Diego, California for Radioman “A” school. Upon completion of Radioman “A” school, USS JUNEAU (LPD-10) homeport in San Diego, California became his first sea going command from September 1986 to November 1991. While attached to JUNEAU, he experienced three deployments to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, and was a participant in the first Gulf War. In August of 1991 he reported to NAVCOMTELSTA Bangor, Washington for shore duty. Assigned to NTCC Bremerton, Washington he qualified as RIXT/LDMX operator, PCMT operator, and Watch Supervisor. From September 1993 to November 1997, Senior Chief Coleman proudly served onboard the USS DULUTH (LPD-6) homeport in San Diego, California. He experienced two deployments to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, and rose to the rank of First Class Petty Officer. After a successful tour onboard DULUTH ITCS(SW) Coleman reported to Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific Honolulu, Hawaii from November 1997 to September 2000. From 1998 to 1999 Senior Chief Coleman served as Leading Petty Officer of fleet center and database. He rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer in September 1999, and assumed the demanding duties as Operations Leading Chief Petty Officer. In December 2000, Senior Chief Coleman transferred to USS DUBUQUE (LPD-8) homeport San Diego, California, where he served as Leading Chief Petty Officer for the Communications division and Operations Department. He completed two deployments to the Western Pacific, Arabian Gulf, and Indian Ocean in support of OPERATION ENDURING and IRAQI FREEDOM. In May 2002, he achieved the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer. Senior Chief Coleman transferred to Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Washington DC in May 2004, as the Command Senior Chief. Senior Chief Coleman has been awarded the Navy Commendation Medal (two awards), and the Navy Achievement Medal (two awards). Senior Chief Coleman is married to the former Cynthia Quinzy, of Gadsden, Alabama, they have 2 children. We reside in Dumfries, Virginia.
2013
Leroy has retired from the Navy and is now living in Huntsville.
6-10-13 update
new address
3-31-15
Here is an article published today on al.com and The Huntsville Times about Leroy:
Nearly everybody called him Leroy, his middle name, when he was an All-City basketball player at Huntsville High School and later All-Conference at Middle Tennessee State University in a playing career that spanned most of the 1970s. Nowadays he generally answers to William, his first name.
"Hardly anybody calls me Leroy any more - not since I joined the Navy,'' said Coleman. "That was 27 years ago.''
William Leroy Coleman spent most of his early life near the banks of the Alabama River in Selma, Ala., during the turbulent 1960s when the town was one of the flashpoints of the civil rights movement.
An acquaintance recently asked Coleman if he had seen the Oscar-nominated film "Selma,'' released earlier this year.
"Not yet,'' he said, "but I don't have to see it to know what happened. I was there.''
Coleman was a promising baseball player as a pre-teen growing up in Selma. But when he and his family moved to Huntsville in 1972, he soon became friends with Charles Matthews, who encouraged him to try out for basketball at Huntsville High, where Billy Whorton was the head coach.
Although still raw at basketball, Coleman played extensively as a sophomore. When Whorton accepted the head coaching job at Arab High, Ben Shurett took over at Huntsville and coached Coleman as a junior and senior.
Before leaving Huntsville High, Shurett helped Coleman land a basketball scholarship to Middle Tennessee State in 1976.
Although never a prolific scorer in either high school or college, Coleman was always a major contributor at both levels, mainly because of his defense.
"I was always more concerned about playing defense than offense,'' he said. "The only stats that really mattered to me personally were rebounding and trying to keep the man I was guarding from scoring.''
But occasionally, he'd go on a sudden scoring binge. One night when the Crimson Panthers were playing Johnson High, he went head-up against the Jaguars' 6-9, 240-pound Bobby Cattage, a Parade All-American who became a four-year letterman at Auburn and later played six years in the pros.
"I kept hitting shot after shot right over his head,'' said Coleman. "I couldn't miss. I think I had something like 25 points. I was looking up in the stands and those fans couldn't believe what they were seeing. Neither could Cattage. After the game, he came over to shake my hand and said, 'Hey, man. I don't know how you kept getting those shots off.' And I said, 'I don't either.' ''
A 6-4 guard-forward at Middle Tennessee, Coleman started the eleventh game of his freshman season and was a starter the rest of his college career. He made the Ohio Valley Conference all-defensive team all four years and was named All-OVC and team captain as a senior, when he averaged 14 points per game.
One of the highlights of his college career came against Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond when his two 1-and-1 free throws with one second left gave the Blue Raiders a dramatic one-point victory.
"Our coach told me to just relax and hit 'em,'' Coleman recalled, "and I just said, 'Don't worry, Coach. This game is over.' ''
In the 1980 NBA draft, the top three picks were Joe Barry Carroll of Purdue, Darrell Griffin of Louisville and Kevin McHale of Minnesota. Leroy Coleman was picked in the 10th round by the Utah Jazz, made it through until the team's next-to-last cut and thought about trying his hand in the European leagues. But he decided to return to Huntsville instead.
He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1983 and spent the next 27 years in the military, retiring as a Senior Chief (E-8) in 2010. He served in communications on a number of ships, mostly amphibians.
"I enjoyed my job in the Navy,'' he said. "As an experienced enlisted guy, I liked mentoring sailors. Somebody has to look out for the younger guys, and I thought that person was me.''
William Coleman and his wife, Cynthia, have two children, Nadia and William
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coleman57@yahoo.com
7924 Gabriela Dr
Huntsville, AL 35806
cell# 619-675-9002