Kentucky native Mark Coleman, who possesses more than 25 years' experience coaching at all levels, is in his 10th year as head cheer coach at Morehead State.
He directs all activities for the 53-time national champion MSU programs (coed and all-girl) as well as assists with mascot appearances and the dance team. He also choreographs the Eagles' national championship routines and game-day plans while also helping coordinate community service projects involving the cheer and dance teams.
He led the MSU all-girl squad to the UCA Division I national championships in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2023. In 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, the MSU coed team won the UCA national title. Under Coach Coleman, MSU has also won UCA Collegiate Partner Stunt titles in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2022. The new Small coed team won its first national title in its first-ever competition in 2023.
Coleman was born in Florence, Ky., grew up near Memphis, Tenn., and has been coaching a variety of teams and clubs in Lexington, Ky., since 1997. He cheered collegiately at Vanderbilt from 1992-97, where he served as team captain of the Nationals team in 1997, and also cheered at Kentucky.
Coleman choreographed and assisted the Purdue University cheer program from 2010-13. He helped take the small coed division Boilermaker team to the finals of the 2013 Universal Cheerleading Association Championship and the 2011 large coed squad to the Division 1A finals.
Coleman owned and operated Performance Spirit, LLC, where he has produced routine music and cheer routines and more than 50 cheer and dance teams each year. He has worked closely with Graves County (Ky.), McCracken County (Ky.), and Blackman (Tenn.) High Schools for years and has guided those programs to more than 20 coed and partner stunt national championships at the National High School Cheerleading Championships.
He coached the Graves County large coed team to national titles in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013 and mentored the partner stunt teams to national championships in 2006, 2008, and 2009. Reidland High School won the NHSCC Small Coed II title in 2012. Blackman was crowned Small Coed champions in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019; and McCracken County won the Medium Coed Divison in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019
Coleman coached youth all-stars for eight seasons and led the Pep Club All-Stars and Kentucky Elite All-Stars to more than 20 national titles in multiple divisions. At West Jessamine Middle School, he guided their teams to four national titles and also helped Georgetown College win the 2005 and 2006 Mid-South Conference championships.
He is an American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators certified coach and served on the National Advisory Board for the United States All-Star Federation.
Coleman earned his bachelor's degree in engineering science/mathematics from Vanderbilt. He and his wife, Shanna - who is the Dance Coach at MSU, have four children, Sterling, Porter, Harper, and Keaton.
