In 1956, the Associated Press reported that the No. 7 position on the short side of the Michigan State line was still being called "The Coleman Tackle." Starting with Coleman, Michigan State played only one lineman on the short side between the center and end positions. With Coleman on the short side, "with his speed and ability to knock down a couple of men on any given play," Michigan State placed an emphasis on plays developing from the short side. One of the Michigan State coaches said, "Coleman taught us things about playing tackle we never thought could be done."