Vince “Mailbox” Coleman, a former two-sport athlete at FAMU was recently honored along with several other St. Louis Cardinal legends at Busch Stadium on Aug. 24. Coleman was punter on the Rattler football team under former head Coach Rudy Hubbard, and baseball under Costa “Pop” Kittles.
Coleman grew up hoping to make his mark as a punter in the National Football League. That's the same career path taken by another Coleman, Vince's cousin Greg, another FAMU great, who kicked for the Minnesota Vikings.
Vince gained notice on the Rattler baseball team by stealing an NCAA Division I record seven bases in one game and 65 in a single season. His blazing speed earned him a reputation as a master burglar who was as daring as a jewel thief.
But it was football that always Vince’s eye. However, he didn't last long in pro football. After three years of kicking for FAMU, he was signed as a free agent in 1982 by the Washington Redskins. They wanted him to play wide receiver. Coleman wanted to punt. He left camp after one week and joined the St. Louis Cardinals' Johnson City, Tenn., rookie-league team.
The rest may be later classified as history in the making. Coleman proceeded to put the minor leagues on fire, stealing 43 bases at Johnson City, 145 the next year at Class A Macon, Ga., and 101 the next season in AAA Louisville.
During his rookie season in Major League Baseball he stole 110 bases, the third-highest in MLB history. He stole over 100 bases in each of the following two years. He ranks ranks sixth in all-time career stolen bases in the major leagues, with 752.
Coleman, a St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Famer, recently returned back to Busch stadium to welcome three new inductees into the fold.