Lee Coleman can appreciate life in the city.
Coleman, a 2006 East Hall High grad, is now a redshirt junior wide receiver at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., just a short distance north of Chicago — a far cry from going to school in rural Hall County. The Wildcats finished the regular season with eight wins and will play in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day against Auburn in Tampa, Fla.
“We’re very excited about playing in the Outback Bowl,” Coleman said. “But we still feel like we could have done better this season.”
But before heading to the bowl game, Coleman had a stopover for five days for some time during the holidays with family in Gainesville. After arriving home last Monday night he had five days in Hall County to see friends and family before leaving to join the football team in Florida for final bowl preparations.
Coleman’s season, and time at Northwestern so far, has been a mixed bag due to injuries. After appearing in 10 games in 2008, he was limited to approximately half of the Wildcats’ games in a special teams role this season. He’s been limited with playing time due to a lingering hip injury that dates back to high school, and a “freak” hamstring injury.
“Since I moved to wide receiver in college (from quarterback), I’ve been injury plagued, which is unfortunate,” Coleman said.
Of course, it hasn’t been all tough luck for Coleman trying to get on the field for Northwestern. Along with playing in most of the Wildcats’ games as a sophomore, he made a big play on special teams against Michigan, downing the ball on its 4 yard line.
Coleman hopes to get past his injuries by next season and go out with a big senior season for Northwestern. He plans on graduating this year and will begin graduate school next year with plans of going toward a path in business or sports administration.
Along with playing football and getting an education at a school of the caliber of Northwestern, Coleman has also learned about navigating life in the big city. He says that Chicago has plenty of activities that cater to young people. There’s art museums, professional sports of all four major levels, outdoor events during the summer, and food that’s one of a kind.
“I really enjoy the pizza in Chicago,” Coleman said. “The deep dish pizza is phenomenal.”
Coleman says one of the best aspects to living only 15 minutes from downtown Chicago is that everything is so accessible. In the city, you can drive around, says Coleman, however most attractions are within walking distance.
During the summer, Coleman is fond of getting downtown for the local festival known as the ‘Taste of Chicago,’ where venders come in and have food and drink of all varieties available for the visitors and tourists.
Then there’s the sports scene in Chicago. Coleman, a starting point guard for East Hall in high school and an avid basketball fan, says he’s made a point to get to a handful of Chicago Bulls games, along with seeing the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team play. He’s yet to see either baseball team, the White Sox and Cubs, or the NFL’s Chicago Bears play in person.
“The city life in Chicago is really enjoyable,” Coleman said.
Of course, any outdoor activities in a northern city like Chicago have to be planned around the seasons. With winter temperatures that regularly dip below 0, and snow always on the forecast in the winter, driving and getting around town for part of the year is next to impossible.
“I remember my first winter was the coldest winter they’ve had in Chicago on record,” Coleman said. “I remember that the temperature was down around 30 below zero.
“You really don’t get used to weather in Chicago in the winter, you just dress as warm as possible and cover your face from the wind.”
After graduation, Coleman doesn’t know whether to stay in the big city or return closer to home in Georgia. He’s just hoping to round out his college career with a big season on the field with Northwestern.