Ryan Albert Collins (born November 1, 1975) is a former American football tight end for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, 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]
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| Position: | Tight end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1975-11-01) November 1, 1975 (age 46) Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| 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 | |
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |
Collins was born November 1, 1975, in Minneapolis, to Albert and Barbara Collins.[2] He attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School, where he played football, baseball, basketball, and track.[2]
Collins 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]
Collins 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]
The 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]
On 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]
On 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]
Collins 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]
Shortly 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]
New York/New Jersey Hitmen roster | |
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