George Collins (American football)
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).
Personal information | |||||
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Born: | Macon, Georgia | December 9, 1955||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
Weight: | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Warner Robins (Warner Robins, Georgia) | ||||
College: | Georgia | ||||
Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||
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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Player stats at PFR |
Early life and high school
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
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
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
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
- 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.