By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Walt Coleman, an official with the National Football League for 21 years as well as an executive with Coleman Dairy, the oldest family-operated dairy west of the Mississippi, is the guest speaker for the Cabot Chamber of Commerce Banquet set for 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Cabot Junior High North cafeteria.
Billye Everett, chamber director, said this week that she started looking for a speaker for this year’s banquet as soon as last year’s banquet was over. And when she learned that Coleman was reputed to be an entertaining speaker and that he was available, she booked him. A successful businessman who can talk football is a perfect fit for Cabot, she said.
Coleman is a 1970 graduate of Little Rock Central High School who has worked for the family business since completing a business degree at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
He has served on numerous boards and he was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
But he is perhaps best known for his call in the 2002 playoff game between Oakland and New England. After replay review, Coleman reversed a fumble by New England quarterback Tom Brady, saying his arm was going forward, though he was trying to tuck the ball and run and the play was instead an incomplete pass.
New England kept possession thanks to the call, won the game and went on to win its first Super Bowl and the “Tuck Rule” entered the language.
Roast beef is the main course for this year’s banquet. Tickets are still available at $25 each or $225 for a table of eight. To make a reservation, e-mail chamber@cabotcc.org.
