Ryan Albert Collins (born November 1, 1975) is an American former professional football tight end for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL), the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, and the New York/New Jersey Hitmen of the XFL. He played college football at St. Thomas.[1][2]
| No. 49, 87, 88 | |||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | November 1, 1975 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 259 lb (117 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Robbinsdale Cooper (New Hope, Minnesota) | ||||||
| College: | St. Thomas | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 1998 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editCollins was born November 1, 1975, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Albert and Barbara Collins.[2] He attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School, where he played football, baseball, basketball, and track.[2]
College career
editCollins attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he majored in communications with a minor in business. He played for the St. Thomas Tommies football and basketball teams.[2]
In football, Collins was selected to the All-MIAC team, the AFCA Division III All-America team, and was among 36 seniors to play in the 1997 Aztec Bowl.[2]
Professional football career
editMinnesota Vikings
editCollins signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent on May 4, 1998. The team waived him on August 30, 1998, but signed him to the practice squad a day later, where he remained for the rest of the 1998 season. His contract expired on January 25, 1999.[2]
Cleveland Browns
editThe Cleveland Browns signed Collins as a free agent on February 22, 1999.[2] Late in the 1999 preseason, Collins suffered a shoulder injury that left him on the inactive list for the first 3 weeks of the season.[3] He was cut by the Browns on September 27, 1999.[4]
Baltimore Ravens
editOn October 12, 1999, Collins was signed to the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad.[5] On December 3, amid a series of injuries to the Ravens' tight ends,[4] he was activated off the practice squad to play in four games, starting three.[2]
On December 26, 1999, Collins made three receptions for 41 yards in a 22–0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.[6] This was the Ravens' first shutout win in franchise history. However, during the third quarter of the game, Collins fractured his left ankle and was removed from the game.[2] He was placed on injured reserve following the game.[3]
He was released by the Ravens on August 28, 2000.[7]
New York/New Jersey Hitmen
editOn October 30, 2000, Collins was selected with the 282nd pick of the 2001 XFL Draft by the New York/New Jersey Hitmen.[8] He played in all 10 games with the Hitmen[9] and recorded three receptions for 38 yards.[2]
Europe
editAmsterdam Admirals
editCollins played with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe in 2002 and 2003.[10][11] He started all 10 games of the 2002 season, making 34 catches for a total of 280 yards and two touchdowns. He was named to the 2002 all-NFL Europe team.[12] In the 2003 season, he played in eight games and started six.[11] He was again named to the 2003 all-NFL Europe team, becoming the only player to be named to the team in both 2002 and 2003.[13]
Kansas City Chiefs
editShortly after the end of the 2002 NFL Europe season, on June 27, 2002, Collins was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs.[14] At the time, the Chiefs were stuck in a contract stalemate with tight end Tony Gonzalez.[12] The Chiefs released Collins on September 2, 2002.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Ryan Collins Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "NY/NJ Hitmen Roster: Ryan Collins". www.all-xfl.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "Ryan Collins 1999 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "Ravens' tight ends drop, so Collins picks up slack; Run of injuries gives former Viking a shot". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "NFL signings by month (October 1999)". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens - December 26th, 1999". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "NFL waivers by month (August 2000)". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "The inaugural XFL draft". OurSportsCentral. October 31, 2000. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "2001 New York/New Jersey Hitmen football Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "2002 Amsterdam Admirals football Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "2003 Amsterdam Admirals football Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "ESPN.com: NFL - Collins offers security at tight end for Chiefs". a.espncdn.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "Nall Named Quarterback Of All-NFLEL Team". www.packers.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "NFL signings by month (June 2002)". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "NFL waivers by month (September 2002)". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2022.