 Coleman first played for Cork when he joined the minor team as a member of the extended panel in advance of the 1967 Munster Minor Championship.He made his first appearance for the team on 14 May 1967 when he was introduced as a substitute at centre-forward for Kevin Fitzgerald, before later claiming a Munster Minor Championship medal as a non-playing substitute after a 4-10 to 0-03 defeat of Limerick in the final.On 3 September 1967, Coleman was again selected amongst the substitutes for the All-Ireland final and ended the game with a winners' medal after the 2-15 to 5-03 defeat of Wexford.