Tony Collins (American football)
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth: | May 27, 1959 | ||||||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Sanford, Florida | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| College: | East Carolina | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1981 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Career Arena statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
| Player stats at ArenaFan.com | |||||||||||||||
Anthony Collins (born May 27, 1959) is a former American football running back. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) and the Arena Football League. He played college football at East Carolina University.
Early years
A speedy and powerful runner, Collins first garnered notoriety in high school as a starter on the 1976 New York State Class B Champion Penn Yan Academy Mustangs.
NFL
Collins attended East Carolina University and was selected in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Cris Crissy, one of his high school teammates, was also drafted by the Patriots that season.[1][2] Collins was a Pro Bowl selection in 1983 and he played in Super Bowl XX as a member of the Patriots. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 1988, but was suspended for the entire season after failing a drug test.[3] His final year in the NFL was in 1990 with the Miami Dolphins. Collins finished his NFL career with 4,647 rushing yards, 261 receptions for 2,356 yards, and 44 touchdowns in 103 games.
Arena football
In 1991, Collins joined the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. In 1992 Collins continued his arena football career with the Cincinnati Rockers and scored nine touchdowns. In 1993 Collins played his last season of arena football with the Miami Hooters.
After football
Collins educates high school athletes and their families on the college recruiting process as an educational speaker for the National Collegiate Scouting Association. He hosted an internet radio show, Sports Talk with Touchdown Tony Collins, on the VoiceAmerica Sports Channel. Collins started a foundation in 2007 called "It's for the Kids", which works with disadvantaged youths Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York.[4] He published a book in 2012 entitled, Broken Road: Turning My Mess Into a Message.[5]
Personal
Collins' cousin is Reggie Branch, who played for the Washington Redskins. His son, Conredge Collins, played college football as a fullback at the University of Pittsburgh from 2005 to 2008.[6] Collins and his wife Trudy live near Greenville, N.C. [7]
References
- ↑ The Chronicle Express, July 28, 2009 http://www.chronicle-express.com/sports/x639779290/30-years-later-Tony-Collins-scores-another-TD-for-PY
- ↑ The Football Encyclopedia, St. Martin's Press, 1994, ISBN 0-312-11435-4
- ↑ "NFL Bans Collins for One Year". Los Angeles Times. 13 August 1988. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ↑ http://www.tonycollinsfoundation.com/
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Road-Turning-Mess-Message/dp/1480025720
- ↑ http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/collins_conredge00.html
- ↑ http://www.chronicle-express.com/article/20121221/News/121219915/?Start=4
| Preceded by Vagas Ferguson |
New England Patriots leading rusher 1981–1983 |
Succeeded by Craig James |
| Preceded by Craig James |
New England Patriots leading rusher 1987 |
Succeeded by John Stephens |