George Collins (American football)
| No. 66 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 9, 1955 Macon, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Warner Robins (Warner Robins, Georgia) | ||||||||
| College: | Georgia | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1978 / round: 4 / pick: 96 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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George Collins (born December 9, 1955) is a former American football offensive tackle who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and two seasons in the United States Football League (USFL).
Early life and high school
[edit]Collins was born in Macon, Georgia and attended Warner Robins High School. He was named All-State and an All-American as a senior.[1]
College career
[edit]Collins was a member of the Georgia Bulldogs for four seasons. He began his collegiate career as a tight end, but was moved to the guard position by coaches who recognized his blocking abilities and encouraged him to gain weight.[2] He became a starter at guard and was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference and a first-team All-American by the Sporting News.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Collins was selected in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.[3] He played five seasons with the Cardinals, playing in 69 games with 26 starts.[4] Collins started 13 games during the 1981 season, taking over at left tackle after starter Keith Wortman was waived.[5] He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in April of 1983, but was cut during training camp.[6][7] Collins was later signed by the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League and spent two seasons with the team.[8]
Coaching career
[edit]After retiring from professional football Collins returned to Georgia as a graduate assistant and earned a master of education degree. He became an offensive line coach at Valdosta State University after graduating.[9] He later entered teaching and was the head football coach at Perry High School, Houston County High School and Rutland High School before retiring in 2015.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Heeter, Jonathan (August 5, 2015). "The Numbers Game: The 70s". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Dooley, Vince; Barnhart, Tony (2005). Dooley: My 40 Years at Georgia. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781617490491.
- ^ "NFL drafts 3 Dogs". The Red & Black. GAHistoricNewspapers.com. May 4, 1978. p. 11. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "George Collins Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "The St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday waived veteran offensive lineman..." United Press International. October 21, 1981. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. April 22, 1983. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Walsh still faces many question marks after opener". The San Francisco Examiner. Newspapers.com. August 7, 1983. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. November 17, 1983. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Valdosta State 1986 Media Guide" (PDF). Valdosta.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Seibel, Ron (October 12, 2015). "Rutland's George Collins announces plans to retire". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- 1955 births
- Living people
- American football offensive tackles
- Georgia Bulldogs football players
- Jacksonville Bulls players
- St. Louis Cardinals (football) players
- San Francisco 49ers players
- Valdosta State Blazers football coaches
- High school football coaches in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Players of American football from Macon, Georgia
- Players of American football from Warner Robins, Georgia