LITTLE ROCK — Walter Carpenter 'Buddy' Coleman, who ran his family's dairy business for several years and was a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, died Monday at the age of 83.
Coleman was a part of the family business from an early age, that business being the manufacturing and delivery of milk to first Little Rock and then an ever-expanding market. He was named president of Coleman Dairy in 1964, going on to serve as chairman of the board and CEO beginning in 1971.
Coleman, father of NFL referee Walt Coleman, was a graduate of Little Rock Central High School and LSU. Coleman spent 26 years as a referee in the Southwest Conference, including officiating more than 250 football games. Coleman officiated two Cotton Bowls, two Orange Bowls, five Sugar Bowls, three Fiesta Bowls, two Gator Bowls and the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo.
He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and is also a member of the Arkansas High School Officials Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Coleman was president of numerous organizations in his lifetime, including a stint as president of the Downtown Little Rock Kiwanis Club, the Better Business Bureau of Arkansas and the Southern Association of Dairy Food Manufacturers. Coleman also served as president and on the board of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.