Former Calgary Stampeders running back Lovell Coleman dies at 78

CALGARY – The Calgary Stampeders announced on Thursday that former running back Lovell Coleman has died. He was 78.

Coleman, who joined the Stampeders in 1960, died on Aug. 10 in Kamloops, B.C.

Coleman, originally from Hamtramck, Mich., played for Calgary until 1967 and won a pair of CFL rushing titles. He also played for Ottawa and finished his career with the B.C. Lions in 1970.

He is fifth all-time in Stampeders history with 6,395 rushing yards. The 1,629 yards he amassed in 1964 stand as the fourth-best single-season total in franchise history.

Coleman still owns Calgary’s single-game rushing record with 238 yards, set against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sept. 14, 1964. In the same season he became the first Stampeder to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and was added to the Stampeders’ Wall of Fame in 1999.

Coleman became a Canadian citizen during his playing career and remained in the country after retiring. He operated his own business in Vancouver for more than 20 years before retiring and settling in Barriere, B.C.