| No. 49, 87, 88 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1998: undrafted | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Ryan Albert Collins (born November 1, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a 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 for the St. Thomas Tommies. [1] [2]
Collins 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]
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]