Big Ten’s ‘We Give Blood Drive’ Personal for Former Hoosier Tevin Coleman

Former Indiana running back Tevin Coleman is helping promote the ‘We Give Blood Drive,’ a partnership between the Big Ten and Abbott. The cause hits close to home for Coleman.

Jack Ankony | Nov 21, 2024

Indiana Hoosiers running back Tevin Coleman (6) against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Big Ten Conference and Abbott, a medical device and healthcare company, have partnered to combat a nationwide blood shortage.

They’re asking fans, students and alumni of Big Ten schools to donate blood as part of the ‘We Give Blood Drive.’ Announced at the Big Ten football championship game on Dec. 7, the winning school will receive $1 million to advance student or community health.

For former Indiana running back Tevin Coleman, the blood drive carries extra meaning.

“It’s super important to me, because my daughter has sickle cell,” Coleman told Hoosiers On SI. “Recently she was in the hospital and she had to get a blood transfusion, and it was hard for her because we couldn’t find a match for her blood. It took about up to a day to find a match for her blood, and it complicates things because now she’s in more pain and she has to be in the hospital longer. So that’s why it’s real important to me for everybody to give blood and to help my daughter.”

At the time of publication, Indiana was in eighth place among 18 Big Ten schools, with 767 donors and approximately 2,301 lives saved. More information on the blood shortage and how to donate can be found here.

Coleman is proud to help a cause that has personally affected his family. He’s also been glad to see the amount of fans around the conference donating blood. The Big Ten estimates 49,095 lives have been saved by 16,365 donors participating in the blood drive so far.

After playing at Indiana from 2012-14 and in the NFL from 2015-22, Coleman is currently a free agent. He’s enjoyed spending more time with his family lately, but he’s also still training for a chance to return to the NFL.

Indiana's Tevin Coleman (6) runs the ball against Penn State at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Coleman played eight years in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets, totaling 4,636 all-purpose yards and 38 touchdowns. He also holds the single-season rushing record at Indiana, running for 2,036 yards during the 2014 season. Coleman ranks fifth on Indiana all-time rushing leaderboard with 3,219 career rushing yards.

Despite his individual success, Indiana never won more than five games in Coleman’s three seasons under former Indiana coach Kevin Wilson. That’s given the Hoosiers’ 10-0 run in 2024 a surreal feeling for Coleman.

“To see coach Cig (Curt Cignetti) change that whole organization around, it’s definitely amazing to see,” Coleman said.

He attended Indiana’s 56-7 win over Nebraska in Bloomington on Oct. 19. In addition to the Hoosiers’ success on the field, Coleman was impressed by renovations in and around Memorial Stadium, especially the recent weight room enhancements.

Coleman highlighted Indiana’s leadership under Cignetti as the biggest difference in the program now, compared to when he played.

“He’s a competitive coach. He’s a leader. He wants the best out of his players. He knows how to get his players to play the best football they can,” Coleman said. “... You can see why they’re winning. His personality, I love his personality. I love how confident he is, that he’s a winner and that he can go that way. You can see it in his players. He’s instilling that into his players, and you can see that on the field.”

Coleman has especially enjoyed watching Indiana running back Justice Ellison, who wears the same No. 6 Coleman once donned. Ellison has rushed for 686 yards and nine touchdowns on 120 carries for an Indiana offense that ranks second nationally at 43.9 points per game.

Coleman is familiar with high-powered offenses at Indiana, as the 2013 Hoosiers finished 16th in the country at 38.4 points per game. But Indiana also allowed over 32 points per game in his three seasons, so he’s been glad to see the Hoosiers playing complementary football this year, with a defense allowing just 13.8 points per game.

He knows No. 5 Indiana has a big challenge Saturday at No. 2 Ohio State, but Coleman thinks the Hoosiers are up for it.

“I think they’ll stack up well,” Coleman said. “You see the football they’ve been playing, they’ve been playing good football. So I definitely believe they’ll stack up against a great team well. We just have to get the opportunity to show the world what we can do.”

Coleman and the 2012 Hooisers nearly upset No. 8 Ohio State in a 52-49 loss, but they lost by at least two scores in road games during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He said Ohio Stadium will feel like it’s shaking Saturday due to the noise, but that’s all part of the fun.

And by the time it’s over, he gives the Hoosiers a shot.

“I’m pulling for IU. We’re gonna upset them and go 11-0,” Coleman said. “We’re gonna shock the world, and that’s gonna be that.”

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