George Collins (American football)

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George Collins
Personal information
Born: (1955-12-09) December 9, 1955 (age 68)
Macon, Georgia
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
Games played:69
Games started:26
Player stats at PFR

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]

  1. ^ a b Heeter, Jonathan (August 5, 2015). "The Numbers Game: The 70s". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Dooley, Vince; Barnhart, Tony (2005). Dooley: My 40 Years at Georgia. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781617490491.
  3. ^ "NFL drafts 3 Dogs". The Red & Black. GAHistoricNewspapers.com. May 4, 1978. p. 11. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  4. ^ "George Collins Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  5. ^ "The St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday waived veteran offensive lineman..." United Press International. October 21, 1981. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  6. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. April 22, 1983. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  7. ^ "Walsh still faces many question marks after opener". The San Francisco Examiner. Newspapers.com. August 7, 1983. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  8. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. November 17, 1983. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "Valdosta State 1986 Media Guide" (PDF). Valdosta.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  10. ^ Seibel, Ron (October 12, 2015). "Rutland's George Collins announces plans to retire". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 19, 2020.