Oak Forest's Tevin Coleman Makes NFL Debut on Monday Night Football

Oak Forest’s Tevin Coleman made his NFL debut on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, and the rookie didn’t disappoint.

The Atlanta Falcons running back rushed for 80 yards on 20 carries. His longest run was 20 yards. A 16-yard carry was nullified by a penalty. The Falcons beat the Philadelphia Eagles 26-24, and Coleman’s performance spawned this headline in the Atlanta Journal Constitution: “Coleman Powers New Rushing Attack.”

“I thought Tevin, for his first NFL game, he didn’t hesitate,” said Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after the game. “He played really, really well.”

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Coleman has yet to score a touchdown, but he received the lion’s share of the workload out of the Falcons backfield Monday night. And he flashed some moves reminiscent of last season when he racked up more than 2,000 yards running the ball for Indiana University. Coleman was drafted by the Falcons in the third round.

“Things went real good for my first game,” Coleman told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “I was real excited with my play, the offense’s play and the defense. It was real exciting being out there with my team.”

Coleman has always envisioned a future playing pro football. As a junior in Oak Forest, he told Patch, “I see myself in the NFL really. ... That’s where I want to go. That’s my plan.”

Now he’s there, but it’s not likely Coleman will forget where he came from. In the spring, Coleman stopped by Oak Forest High School to thank his teachers.

His solid performance on ESPN’s Monday Night Football before a national audience is a great start to his career. A writer on Bleacher Report this spring suggested Coleman could be the NFL’s top rookie running back, even a rookie of the year candidate.

For now, back home, he’ll be honored on Sept. 18 at Oak Forest High School’s homecoming game as one of four alumni athletes to play professional sports.