Gary Collins (American football player)
| Gary Collins | |
|---|---|
|
Positions: Wide Receiver , Punter |
Jersey number (s): 86 |
| born on August 20, 1940 in Williamstown , Pennsylvania | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1962 - 1971 | |
| NFL Draft : 1962 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th | |
| College : University of Maryland | |
| Teams | |
|
|
| Career statistics | |
| Games | 127 |
| Gaining space by catching passports | 5,299 yards |
| Touchdowns | 70 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Gary James Collins (* 20th August 1940 in Williamstown , Pennsylvania ) is a former American American football player . He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns as a wide receiver and punter .
Player career
College career
Gary Collins studied at the University of Maryland from 1959 to 1961 . He played football for the Maryland Terrapins as a wide receiver and punter. In all three years of study he was recognized by his college for his athletic achievements. Collins was the statistically best wide receiver of his team during his student days. The number of touchdown passes he caught is still number 4 on his college's best list.
Professional career
Collins was drafted fourth in the first round by the Cleveland Browns in 1962 . The Boston Patriots , who played in the NFL competitive league American Football League (AFL), drew him sixth in the AFL Draft in the first round. Gary Collins decided to accept the Browns offer. The undisputed star player of the Browns was fullback Jim Brown . The team also had other top performers, such as the later members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Lou Groza and Gene Hickerson .
Collins was mainly used as a punter in his rookie season , as a wide receiver he was initially only the second choice for the trainer of the Browns Blanton Collier . In 1963 he was able to establish himself as a starter in the Browns offense . He was able to achieve the league best performance of 13 caught touchdown passes.
In 1964, the Browns had been able to strengthen themselves well with the running back Leroy Kelly and the wide receiver Paul Warfield and Collins managed to move into the NFL Championship Game against the Baltimore Colts with his team . In the final, he was staged several times by quarterback Frank Ryan . With five pass catches he achieved a space gain of 130 yards . With three scored touchdowns, he was instrumental in the success of his team. The following year, the Browns went to defend their title in the final against the Green Bay Packers . Also in this game he scored a touchdown, but could not prevent the 12:23 defeat of his team against the Packers trained by Vince Lombardi . After a serious shoulder injury, Collins could only partially contest the 1968 season. In the final defeat of his team against the Packers in the same year, he was not a factor. In 1969 the Browns moved back into the NFC Championship Game . When his team lost 7:27, he scored the only touchdown. After the Browns had tried during the 1971 season to give Collins to another team, he ended his career.
After the career
Gary Collins, despite his individual achievements, was long forgotten. It was only after he was disappointed in an interview in 2003 about the behavior of the club's officials that he was honored by the Browns in 2004. Gary Collins worked as an insurance salesman in Hershey after his playing career .
Honors
Collins played twice in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. He has been elected all-pro four times and is a member of the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team and is honored on the Maryland Athletics Walk of Fame.
Web links
- Gary Collins in the nndb (English)
- Short biography ( Memento from November 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- Short biography II
literature
- Roger Gordon: Cleveland Browns: A-Z. Sports Pub. LLC, Champaign 2000, ISBN 1-58261-240-4 .
- Tony Grossi: Tales from the Browns Sideline. Sports pub. LLC, Champaign 2004, ISBN 1-58261-713-9 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Gary Collins, Maryland Terrapins Football . April 19, 2013. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013.
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Browns 1964
- ↑ Statistics NFL final 1964
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Browns 1965
- ^ Statistics NFL final 1965
- ^ Annual statistics of the Browns 1968
- ↑ Statistics NFC final 1968
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Browns 1969
- ↑ Statistics NFC final 1969
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Collins, Gary |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Collins, Gary James (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 20th August 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Williamstown , Pennsylvania |