his style, Coleman surprised many by leading the Bombers to the premiership in 1962. The team performed brilliantly, losing only two games for the season and crushing Carlton in the Grand Final. During his playing days, Coleman had developed a special loathing for umpires, and they were often the target of his venomous tongue as a coach. Essendon suffered a premiership hangover and finished fifth in the 1963 season. They were subsequently eliminated in the first semi-final of the 1964 finals series. Another flag followed in 1965 when Essendon achieved the rare feat of winning from fourth place. With two premierships in the bag as a coach, Coleman could rest assured that his reputation was secure. By now, though, his health had begun to cause him some concern. The knee injury prevented him from actively participating in training, and he suffered badly from thrombosis. However, he reluctantly agreed to return for the 1967 season. The Bombers missed the finals, and Coleman voluntarily handed the coaching job over to Jack Clarke. Sudden death Coleman moved to the Mornington Peninsula, buying a rural property at Arthurs Seat and running the Dromana Hotel. In the early hours of 5 April 1973, he died suddenly of coronary atheroma. The public was stunned and saddened. He was just 44 years old. On Saturday 7 April 1973, the opening round of the VFL season included a match held at Windy Hill between Essendon and Richmond, which in effect became a John Coleman memorial. Richmond defeated Essendon by 2 points that day, with the decisive last goal of the game kicked by Richmond's Kevin Sheedy, who would go on to be Essendon's next premiership-winning coach (1984) after Coleman. After a large funeral conducted at St Thomas' Church of England, in Mount Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds (the church in which he had married), by Archdeacon Randal Hugh Deasey (1916–?) on Monday 9 April 1973, attended by many of Melbourne's sporting community, Coleman was cremated. Some 400 people packed into the church, and another 600 stood outside the church listening to the service broadcast over loudspeakers. The pallbearers included his brother Albert, his former business associate Ted Rippon, and the former Essendon full-forward Ted Fordham. The mourners included Sir Maurice Nathan and Ralph Lane from the VFL, and Essendon footballers John Birt, Russell Blew, Jack Clarke, Ken Fraser, Geoff Leek, Greg Sewell, David Shaw, John Somerville, and John Williams.