Since Jerry Jones decided to remind us all about the "Glory Hole Days" here in Dallas last week, I decided to go out and find a man who lived through them. Former Dallas Cowboys Running Back, and Super Bowl Champion Lincoln Coleman is my guest in this week's Singles Match:
Larry Stanley: November 25,1993. Emmitt goes down and you come in to game during that huge Thanksgiving Day game! How nervous were you?
Lincoln Coleman: Extremely nervous. Playing for the Cowboys on game meant that you were supposed to make plays that increased our chances on winning and I didn't want to make any mistakes. I was playing behind the guy that refuse to quit and for a coach that demanded your best so that's what I gave the team.
LS: You guys are up 14-13 with seconds left and that game. The Cowboys block a field goal and Leon Lett dives and misses the ball. What are you thinking on the sideline? Did you see it happen?
LC:After the blocked kick we celebrated so I didn't see the mistake by Leon. What people don't understand is before the season the rules on downing the ball after a blocked kick changed and you didn't have to touch it; the ball was automatically dead. We practiced that all year and Leon ended up having a brain fart. lol!
LS: Correct me if I am wrong but it looks like 3 games later you scored your first career touchdown vs Minnesota. Do you still have that ball?
LC: Yes, and it was awesome. It's on Youtube right now. I didn't know how to celebrate.
LS: You played for the Cowboys during their "Glory Hole Days" as Jerry puts it. How crazy was that team inside and outside of the locker room?
LC:The guys were as wild as most people think. Our moto was "if you hoot with the owls you have to be able to soar with the eagles" meaning if you party all night you still have to get up in the morning and get the job done on the practice field because that's where you win football games; not on gameday. Let me tell you my friend we did party. Think of the wildest rock band you can think of and times that by 10. lol! Everywhere we went people knew who we were and wanted to be apart of what we were doing.
LS: Did you ever hang out at the "White House" back then? Was the "White House" even real?
LC:Yes I hung out at the White House and enjoyed every minute of it. lol! After Eric Williams injured himself in a car accident we were being followed by reporters when we hit the clubs to party. The next day names were ending up on black white talking about what we did the night before so we decided to rent a house big enough for all of us to hang out in. I refuse to name names because of the absolute respect and love I have for my teammates but I did everything you can think a young 23yr old male would do in a situation involving drugs, alcohol and women.
LS: Who did you hang out with the most on the team? Still talk to any of your old teammates?
LC:Kevin Williams was my running mate as well as Derrick Lassik. We came into the league at the same time and Kevin and I were from Dallas and played in the same school district in high school. District 10-5A. When I was a senior in high school we played Roosevelt h.s. in a game that determined the winner of the district Kevin and I played in. Kevin was a sophomore for Roosevelt and I played for Bryan Adams h.s. and we both had 7-0 records. Every major college in the nation was there and we lost on a hail mary to Kevin at the end of the game. lol! I still love him.
LS: Do you watch NFL,College ball now? If so who do you like in 2012?
LC: I watch the Cowboys religiously and love Mack Brown and the Longhorns. When I was living in Michigan the Longhorns made me proud to be a Texan. When Texas beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl I was the only one rooting for them in the state. Then they went back the next year and beat U.S.C. for the national championship; no one could shut me up. lol!
LS: What do you think the Cowboys do in 2012?
LC: I'm not sure. I'm a fan of Jason Garrett and Rob Ryan; the players are a problem for me for this reason. No one on that team truly understands why the fans expect greatness. Incredible men of character and athleticism and love for the game and the team they play for started a tradition that is expected to be carried forward until the game is over. These guys make a lot of money because of the efforts of past men not only for the Cowboy team. So, when you step on the field for the Cowboys you have to win championships.
LS: If you had to pick Romo or Aikman to start a big game for you who do you take and why?
LC: Aikman 10 out of 10 times without hesitation. Aikman loved the game, respected the guys he lined up with and he was the absolute leader on the field. My difficulty with Romo stems from his dedication to his team. The attempts to become a pro golfer bothered me because that meant your focus had to split between the two careers. Now even though his pro-golf aspirations were in the off-season your job for 12 months out of the year is Cowboy quarterback. The tradition at the position is undeniable and has to be the only thing on your mind for the duration of your contract.
LS: How proud were you that your alumni Baylor had a Hesiman trophy winner last year?
LC:Truly proud of my school. I was a h.s. coach for Samuell h.s. when RG3 was a senior in h.s. We played a playoff game against him and lost bad so my hats off to him and his abilities.
LS: Favorite Summer Olympic Sport?
Track and field but I also love swimming, women's gymnastics and fencing. I learned how to fence in college at Notre Dame.
LS: What is life like for Lincoln Coleman these Days?
LC: I own and operate a non-profit called I AM SOMEBODY. We assist alcoholics and addicts in getting into treatment centers and halfway houses as well as community outreach and job training and life skills. The money we generate provides scholarships to these places and funds what we call Recovery Weekends. We help the members of the recovery community to make sober connections because there is no way possible for us to fight this disease of addiction alone.
