MONROE COLEMAN 

Class of 1937
​Inducted in 1989

Monroe was inducted into the SHSAA Hall of Fame in 1989.

After graduating from South at the top of his class, Monroe joined the Army. During World War II, Monroe was decorated for service in the Southwest Pacific and European Theatres and for the Philippine Campaign. He also received a meritorious Service Medal as commanding officer of a POW camp. Monroe is a retired full-bird colonel in the US Army Reserve.

In 1964 he became Omaha’s first Black captain and in 1966, he was promoted, becoming the first Black Deputy Chief of the Omaha Police Department. In addition to these duties, he was appointed by Governor Robert Kerry to serve as a member of the Nebraska Jail Standard Committee.

Monroe passed in 2013 at the age of 94. 

In 2025, he had a baseball field dedicated to him. The Monroe Coleman Baseball Field is located in Bowling Green Park near 72nd and Blondo in Omaha.