The name was coined by Private Eye magazine and is derived from that of the BBC sports commentator, David Coleman. An example of the great man's work in this field is the classic: "And here's Moses Kiptanui - the 19 year old Kenyan, who turned 20 a few weeks ago". Another regular contributor to the section, up until his retirement from racing commentary, was Murray Walker, who would frequently mis-identify drivers and mangle metaphors (e.g. "We've had cars going off left, right and centre" and the classics "Unless I'm very much mistaken...... I AM very much mistaken!" and "Senna's car is absolutely unique, apart from the one following, which is identical.").
The column also includes quotations from sportsmen themselves (e.g. "That's cricket Harry, you get these sort of things in boxing." - Frank Bruno), politicians ("When your back's against the wall it's time to turn round and fight." - John Major), newsreaders and celebrities.
In late 2001, a subsection of Colemanballs was introduced. Called "Warballs" it records bizarre references to "9/11", often taken from specialist magazines explaining the effect of the attacks on things as unconnected as model trains and fast-food.
Similarly gaffe-prone sports personalities can be found throughout the world, such as Yogi Berra of the United States.
Compare damaging quotations.