If a neutral could pick any player to score the winning touchdown in tonight's Super Bowl in New Jersey, Derrick Coleman, the Seattle Seahawks' back-up running back, would be a popular choice.

Coleman, 23, is the first legally deaf player to appear in a Super Bowl. Without his two hearing aids he rates his hearing as a two on a scale of 10, and even with them, no better than an eight on a good day. His disability became big news when he agreed to appear in an awareness-raising Duracell commercial showing that it was possible to overcome such adversity.

The ad went viral and that, plus the Seahawks' success, inspired a nine-year-old deaf girl, Riley Kovalcik, to write a supportive fan letter to Coleman, which read: "Just try your best. I have faif [sic] in you." When her father, Jake, tweeted it, Coleman tweeted back , and last week surprised Riley and her twin sister, Erin, also deaf, by personally handing over tickets to the Super Bowl for them and their family.

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Even if the perfect ending, with Coleman making a key play tonight, remains unwritten, the story so far is still an inspirational tale of success against the odds and the power of sport to transform lives.

"Sports is really where I get my confidence from," says Coleman, who has been deaf since the age of three. "I always wanted to do sports, even if I sucked. I mainly loved team sports because after a day or two people forgot that I have hearing problems. But I didn't start playing football until the seventh grade [aged 12]."

And yet it was in this complex sport, where communication is key, that he found success – eventually. After a slow start he became a top college player. Yet no NFL team took a chance on him in the 2012 draft, and he was released by the Minnesota Vikings after a few months on their practice squad.

But then Seattle gave him a chance. "Coaches gave up on me, I was cut from teams, I was undrafted," he recalls. "But when people said I couldn't do something, it was motivation. Just watch me. So much of football is the mental game. Being deaf I have always had to be more aware, put in extra effort at whatever I do, and it has carried on to football."

Shape Created with Sketch. In picture: Super Bowl 2014 Show all 19 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In picture: Super Bowl 2014 1/19 The Broncos make their way onto the field 2/19 Queen Latifah gives a rendition of 'America the Beautiful' 3/19 Joe Namath did the coin toss in a superb coat 4/19 The Broncos concede a safety very early on 5/19 The Broncos concede a safety very early on 6/19 Seattle kick a first quarter field goal 7/19 Wide receiver Doug Baldwin #89 of the Seattle Seahawks makes a reception in the first quarter 8/19 Bruno Mars in the half time show 9/19 Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers 10/19 Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks scores a touchdown against the Denver Broncos Getty Images 11/19 Jermaine Kearse of the Seattle Seahawks holds off Tony Carter of the Denver Broncos to score a touchdown 12/19 Wide receiver Percy Harvin #11 of the Seattle Seahawks runs 87-yards to score a touchdown 13/19 Wide receiver Doug Baldwin #89 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates his 10-yard touchdown 14/19 Tight end Zach Miller #86 and quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks dump Gatorade on head coach Pete Carroll 15/19 MetLife Stadium is shown after the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII 16/19 Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos walks off the field after their 43-8 loss 17/19 The Seahawks mascots celebrates 18/19 Tackle Russell Okung #76 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after winning Super Bowl XLVIII 19/19 Seattle Seahawks Owner Paul Allen celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy Getty Images 1/19 The Broncos make their way onto the field 2/19 Queen Latifah gives a rendition of 'America the Beautiful' 3/19 Joe Namath did the coin toss in a superb coat 4/19 The Broncos concede a safety very early on 5/19 The Broncos concede a safety very early on 6/19 Seattle kick a first quarter field goal 7/19 Wide receiver Doug Baldwin #89 of the Seattle Seahawks makes a reception in the first quarter 8/19 Bruno Mars in the half time show 9/19 Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers 10/19 Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks scores a touchdown against the Denver Broncos Getty Images 11/19 Jermaine Kearse of the Seattle Seahawks holds off Tony Carter of the Denver Broncos to score a touchdown 12/19 Wide receiver Percy Harvin #11 of the Seattle Seahawks runs 87-yards to score a touchdown 13/19 Wide receiver Doug Baldwin #89 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates his 10-yard touchdown 14/19 Tight end Zach Miller #86 and quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks dump Gatorade on head coach Pete Carroll 15/19 MetLife Stadium is shown after the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII 16/19 Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Denver Broncos walks off the field after their 43-8 loss 17/19 The Seahawks mascots celebrates 18/19 Tackle Russell Okung #76 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after winning Super Bowl XLVIII 19/19 Seattle Seahawks Owner Paul Allen celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy Getty Images

He has developed coping strategies both off the field – where you soon forget his deafness when speaking to him – and on it. "I always get in position in the huddle where the quarterback is either right in front of me or next to me, so I can hear him, or I can revert to my back-up plan and read lips. If ever I didn't understand a play, I'm not embarrassed to go up to him and say, 'Hey, I didn't hear it'. I don't use my hearing as an excuse. I'll find a different excuse before I would ever do that." His own personality and drive to succeed was backed up by supportive parents. When his hearing aids did not fit comfortably inside his helmet, his mother improvised padding from hosiery to keep them in place. But he understands that others do not have that support, and has become a willing spokesman for the deaf.

"I have always been happy to talk to other kids, because I never had a role model of my own like myself growing up," he says. "People said I couldn't do certain things, but I can tell people, 'You can do them. I did'.

"Duracell and I wanted to inspire others, to give them the motivation I would have needed if I hadn't had my parents. Everybody has problems. I wear a hearing aid, some people have glasses, some people have depression. But as long as you don't let that get in the way of what you want to do, you can do anything."

Today's game is billed as a chance for quarterback Peyton Manning to lead the high-octane Denver Broncos offense to victory, although the Seattle defense expects to have plenty to say about that. But even if Derrick Coleman turns out to be just a footnote in the game stats, many already consider him one of the greats.

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