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 Derrick Coleman has a lifelong fan in this little girl from New Jersey. 
 
 Coleman, the deaf fullback for the Super Bowl bound Seattle Seahawks, received a touching tweet after the team’s big win Sunday from hearing impaired girl Riley Kovalcik, 9, of Roxbury, N.J. 
 
 “I know how you feel. I also have hearing aids,” Kovalcik, who started losing her hearing at the age of 1, wrote in the tender note. “I have faif (sic) in you Derrick good Job on January 20th game.” 
 
 After Riley Kovalcik, 9, watched the Seahawks’ dramatic victory on Sunday and the fullback's Duracell commercial, she was inspired to write him a letter. Her father, Jake, posted a photo of it on Twitter and it quickly went viral. (@JakeIsMobile via Twitter) 
 
 A photo of Kovalcik’s heartwarming handwritten letter — posted from her father Jake Kovalcik’s Twitter account on Tuesday — quickly circulated around the Internet and caught the attention of the Seahawks and Coleman, who penned his own response to his more than 23,000 followers. 
 
 “Really was great hearing from a friend who I have so much in common with,” the gritty gridiron gladiator wrote on Wednesday. “Even though we wear hearing aids, we can still accomplish our goals & dreams! If you or your family ever in Seattle, I hope we can all get together & play some sports or games!” 
 
 Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman reached out to bond with young Riley Kovalcik. (Ted Mase for New York Daily News) 
 
 Riley’s initial message has been recirculated more than 1,100 times in just one day. Her dad expressed disbelief at how much attention his little girl’s letter attracted. 
 
 “The only reason I put the tweet out was so that he can get to see that he's an inspiration for my kids,” the doting dad told the Daily News. “I don't think she's ever written to anyone like that, ever.” 
 
 So moved by the child's letter, Coleman wrote her back with his own, stating in part: 'Even though we wear hearing aids, we can still accomplish our goals & dreams.' (@DC2forlife via Twitter) 
 
 Coleman was recently featured in a slick Duracell commercial that chronicled his amazing journey from bullied deaf youngster to football sensation. Prior to the commercial, Coleman’s hearing impairment was a relative secret. 
 
 The fullback has always given a stiff-arm to adversity, he has previously said. 
 
 Fullback Derrick Coleman of the Seattle Seahawks made headlines when it was revealed that he uses hearing aids when he is on the field. Throughout his life, he has given a stiff arm to adversity. His journey to the NFL was detailed in a Duracell commercial. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) 
 
 “He's been so successful. He's somebody to look up to and he made her feel like hearing aids are cool,” Kovalcik, 41, who works in sales for Under Armour. 
 
 Both Riley and her twin sister Erin have been severely hearing impaired for most of their lives. The father of three said that he has tried to teach Riley that she is “unique” — but not disabled — for losing her hearing so early in her life. 
 
 The Kovalcik family is from Roxbury, N.J. Father Jake Kovalcik wasn’t anticipating the amazing reception his daughter’s note received. (Life is a Highway Photography) 
 
 “She's a really confident little kid — this is a peek into what she's thinking on a daily basis,” the father said. “It kind of broke my heart, really, she's my daughter. 
 
 Later in the adorable note, Riley lists hearing aids and a love of sports things her and Coleman have in common. 
 
 “After we saw the battery commercial on Derrick Coleman and the 20th's game, I was very inspired,” little Riley told The News. “Now I'm looking forward to seeing the Super Bowl.” 
 
 idejohn@nydailynews.com 
 
 Follow me on Twitter: @IrvingDeJohn 

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– The Seahawks' Derrick Coleman is legally deaf, a fact that millions of people have discovered via a popular ad for Duracell featuring the player. (It's got more than 10 million views on YouTube.) But AdWeek takes note of a nice side story: A 9-year-old girl who is hearing impaired herself (along with her identical twin sister) wrote a letter of thanks and encouragement to Coleman that got tweeted to him by her dad. Coleman then posted a hand-written letter of his own in response. "I want you to know that I always try my best in everything I do and have faith in you & your twin sister too," he wrote. "Even though we wear hearing aids, we can still accomplish our goals & dreams!" Classy move, the father of letter-writer Riley Kovalcik tells the New York Daily News. "He's somebody to look up to, and he made her feel like hearing aids are cool."