03 Jun 2026 501 Hometown Hall of Famers: Buddy and Walt Coleman

Posted at 8:02 PMh in Sports by

By David Grimes

Buddy and Walt Coleman not only worked together at the family dairy business, but they also made history by becoming the first father and son to referee an NCAA football game together.

Three generations of Coleman officials have carried a Central Arkansas family name onto some of football’s biggest stages: Walter Carpenter “Buddy” Coleman Jr., Walter Carpenter “Walt” Coleman III and Walt Coleman IV. 

Buddy Coleman was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF) in 1994 as part of the 36th class, along with Ike Poole, Joe Ferguson and Ron Brewer.

Walt Coleman was enshrined in 2009 as part of the 51st class, along with Martine Bercher, Lurlyne Greer, Bobby Richardson, Jerry Rook, Kenny Saylors, Charlie Spoonhour, R.C. Thielman, Jerrell Williams and Corliss Williamson. 

Eleithet B. Coleman founded Coleman Dairy in Little Rock in 1862. Upon his passing, his son, Fred Coleman, took over and later passed it on to his son, Walter Carpenter Coleman. The family operated a 200-acre farm situated on Asher Avenue, just south of where the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is located. The operation became part of the Hiland Dairy brand in 2013.

Walter Carpenter “Buddy” Coleman Jr. was born in 1928. He graduated from Little Rock High School and then LSU before serving in the U.S. Air Force. He returned home in 1953 to join his father in the business. In addition to his duties at the dairy, Buddy was a referee in the Southwest Conference (SWC) for 26 years. Beginning in 1963, he worked more than 250 games, including numerous bowl games. Buddy died in 2011 at the age of 83.

Walter Carpenter Coleman III, or simply “Walt,” was born in 1952. As a youth, he did odd jobs around the farm and continued to work there throughout his high school years. In 1970, he graduated from Little Rock Central, where he excelled at football, basketball and baseball. He attended the University of Arkansas, where he played baseball for Coach Norm DeBriyn, a fellow ASHOF inductee. After graduating from college, Walt joined Coleman Dairy as office manager and was named president in 1985. 

Like his father, Walt also became a referee, working his way up to the SWC as well. On Sept. 29, 1984, the Colemans made history by becoming the first father and son to referee in the same NCAA Division I game when Arkansas took on Navy at War Memorial Stadium.

This autographed photo came to David Grimes directly from Walt and commemorates the famous Tuck Rule Game. During a heavy snowstorm on Jan. 19, 2002, the New England Patriots hosted the Oakland Raiders. With under two minutes remaining, Oakland held a slim 13-10 lead. New England Quarterback Tom Brady dropped back to pass but was hit and lost the football. Walt Coleman reviewed the video and reversed the original call of a fumble, instead ruling it an incomplete pass. New England kept possession and won the game in overtime.

Buddy retired in 1988, and Walt began a 30-year NFL officiating career in 1989. He will live forever in NFL lore for his correct interpretation of a very obscure ruling during a 2002 AFC divisional playoff game.

During a heavy snowstorm on Jan. 19, 2002, the New England Patriots hosted the Oakland Raiders. With under two minutes remaining, Oakland held a slim 13-10 lead, but New England had the ball. Quarterback Tom Brady dropped back to pass but was hit and lost the football. The ruling on the field was a fumble recovered by Oakland, which would have basically ended the game with a Raider victory.

However, the play went to video review, where Walt reversed the original call of a fumble, instead ruling it an incomplete pass. Like virtually everyone watching the game, I had never heard of the “tuck rule,” and like most of the viewing audience, I thought the call overturning the fumble was outrageous. However, Walt did get the call correct.

New England kept possession of the ball and went on to win the game in overtime. A few weeks later, Brady and the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl.

That game in 2002 was before the era of social media, but Walt said Raider fans still found a way to voice their displeasure. The week following the game, an Oakland radio station broadcast the phone number and fax number for Coleman Dairy. Walt said their office was inundated with irate Raider fans voicing their disapproval, often in very colorful terms.

He is a fantastic public speaker, and I have been fortunate to hear him on several occasions. He tells lots of stories about his career as a referee and, of course, talks about the tuck rule game.

Walt’s son, Walt Coleman IV, served as an NFL referee for eight seasons, from 2015 to 2022. Like the players, NFL referees have uniform numbers. Walt IV began his career wearing No. 87, but after Walt III retired, he changed to his father’s No. 65 in his honor.