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Spot Collins

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1922–1996)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2015}}

{{Infobox college football player

| embed =

| name = William Harold "Spot" Collins

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| school = Texas Longhorns

| currentnumber =

| currentposition = QB, LB, G

| class = 1946

| major =

| pastschools =

| bowlgames =

| highschool = Breckenridge High School

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|3|4}}

| birth_place = Breckenridge, Texas, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1996|3|26|1922|3|4}}

| death_place = Temple, Texas, U.S.

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 8

| weight_lb = 195

| highlights =

  • Second-team All-SWC (1946)
  • 1942 2nd Team All-Southwest Conference
  • 1944 Sun Bowl MVP

| CFBHOF_year =

| module =

| espn =

| cbs =

| si =

| yahoo =

| rivals =

}}

William Harold "Spot" Collins (March 4, 1922 – March 26, 1996) was a college and professional football player and coach in the 1940s. He was a quarterback and guard who led the Texas Longhorns to their first bowl game; and – {{convert|28|mi|km}} north of Austin, in Georgetown, during his military service – he led the Southwestern University Pirates to the 1944 Sun Bowl where he was the game's MVP. Collins played one year of professional football for the NFL's Boston Yanks in 1947 and was head football coach at Southwestern in 1948–49. He is one of only 14 NFL players to serve in both World War II and the Korean War.

Early life

William Harold Collins was a star in football, baseball and basketball at Breckenridge High School, which he attended from 1936 to 1940.{{sfn|Kassen||p=}} He led the football team to a district championship in his senior year and was 2nd Team All-State the same year.{{sfn|Collins Bio||p=}}{{sfn|Interscholastic Leaguer||p=1}} When the season was over, he played in the annual Texas High School Football Coaches Association All-Star game.{{sfn|Kerrville Mountain Sun||p=5}}

College football

Collins first attended the University of Texas in 1940 where, in his freshman year, he was captain of the "Shorthorn" football team – the freshman team.{{sfn|Breckenridge American||p=3}} They went undefeated and won the unofficial conference championship.

In 1941, Collins played guard on the varsity and earned a letter despite missing the end of the season with a knee injury.{{sfn|Williams||p=}} That season marked the first time that a Texas team would ever be ranked No. 1 in the polls, if only for a week, before tying Baylor and losing to TCU in back to back weeks. The Longhorns finished 8–1–1 and ranked No. 4 in the country. It was the first time Texas ever finished the season ranked.

In 1942 Collins was moved to quarterback, which in the single-wing formation was also known as the "blocking back". The quarterback did not pass or handle the ball as much as they do in modern offenses, but did call the plays. On defense, he played linebacker.{{sfn|Williams||p=}} After starting slowly to allow his knee to heal, Collins took over the starting job from Joe Magliolo because he was seen as the better pass defender and the Longhorns started to play against more pass-oriented offenses in the Southwest Conference.{{sfn|Grayson||p=5}} He helped lead Texas to the conference title, a No. 11 ranking and their first bowl game, the 1943 Cotton Bowl.{{sfn|Williams||p=}} Collins was recognized as an All-Southwest Conference 2nd Team player as a back.{{sfn|Yellow Jacket||p=3}}

Following the 1942 season, Collins joined the Marine Corps and, along with eight other Longhorns, was sent to Southwestern University as part of the V-12 program.{{sfn|Williams||p=}} There he was captain of the most successful Pirates football team in school history, a team that beat Texas in Austin, was ranked as high as No. 11, and won the 1943 Sun Bowl, in which Collins was named MVP. Though the Texas Conference was officially disbanded during the war, the school considers themselves Texas Conference Champions that year.

Collins left college and football to go into service during World War II. He was a first lieutenant with the Sixth Marines at Okinawa and China.{{sfn|Breckenridge American||p=3}}

In 1946, Collins returned to the University of Texas, but with Texas' transition to the t-formation, a blocking back was no longer needed, so he was moved back to offensive guard. Despite his years away from Austin, Collins was named co-captain of the football team as the Longhorns went 8–2. He was again recognized as an All-Southwest Conference 2nd Team player, this time as a guard.{{sfn|Ratliff||p=8}} Following the season, Collins played in the 1947 East-West all star game in San Francisco and the College All-Star game in Chicago.{{sfn|Breckenridge American||p=3}}

Professional football

In 1947, after getting a degree, Collins was selected in the third round of the 1947 AAFC Draft by the New York Yankees,{{sfn|AAFC Draft|1947|p=}} but never played for them. Instead, he spent the 1947 season in the NFL with the Boston Yanks, for whom he played guard.{{sfn|Pro Football Archives||p=}}

Coaching and later life

With his professional football career over, Collins was hired as head football coach at Southwestern University in the spring of 1948. He coached the Pirates for two years, for a combined 9–10–2 record, before leaving for the military again in 1951.{{sfn|Kassen||p=}}{{sfn|Pro Football Hall of Fame||p=}} He served in the Korean War, where he earned the Bronze Star Medal. He was one of only 14 NFL players to serve in both World War II and the Korean War.{{sfn|Pro Football Hall of Fame||p=}}{{sfn|Pro Football Hall of Fame||p=}} After returning from the war, Collins was hired as the head coach at Vernon High School from 1952 to 1954, where his teams posted a combined record of 14–13–3.{{sfn|Smith||p=}} He earned a master's degree in education from Texas in 1954{{sfn|Collins (master's thesis)||p=}} and then entered the insurance industry in Austin in 1956 where he worked until his retirement.

Collins died on March 26, 1996, in Temple, Texas, and was buried at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery.

He was inducted into the Southwestern University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.

Head coaching record

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Southwestern Pirates

| conf = Texas Conference

| startyear = 1948

| endyear = 1949

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1948

| name = Southwestern

| overall = 6–3

| conference = 2–3

| confstanding = T–4th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1949

| name = Southwestern

| overall = 3–7–2

| conference = 0–4–1

| confstanding = 6th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Southwestern

| overall = 9–10–2

| confrecord = 2–7–1

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 9–10–2

| bowls = no

| poll = no

| polltype =

| legend = no

}}

Bibliography

=Notes=

{{reflist|30em}}

= References =

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

  • {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Interscholastic Leaguer|p=1}} |date=February 1940 |title=All-State Teams Have 5 Over 18 |url=https://www.uiltexas.org/files/leaguer/leaguer-archives/LE-1940-02.pdf |work=Interscholastic Leaguer |editor1-last=Bedichek |editor1-first=Roy |editor1-link=Roy Bedichek |volume=23 |issue=6 |location=Austin |publisher=Bureau of Extracurricular Activities, Extension Division, University of Texas |oclc=8083183 |access-date=March 9, 2015 |via=University Interscholastic League }}
  • {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Pro Football Archives|p=}} |title=Bill Collins |url=http://www.profootballarchives.com/coll02400.html |website=Pro Football Archives |access-date=March 13, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134142/http://www.profootballarchives.com/coll02400.html }}
  • {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Kerrville Mountain Sun|p=5}} |date=August 8, 1940 |title=Coaches Price and Callihan of Tivy and Weir of Schreiner Institute Attend Grid School |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/10053093/ |work=Kerrville Mountain Sun |volume=58 |issue=37 |location=Kerrville, Texas |access-date=March 12, 2015 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription }}
  • {{cite thesis |ref={{SfnRef|Collins (master's thesis)|p=}} |last=Collins |first=William Harold |date=1954 |title=An Analysis Through Motion Pictures of Defensive Patterns of Play of Seven Southwest Conference Opponents of the University of Texas in 1952 |degree=Master |publisher=University of Texas |oclc=27304452}} (includes vitae) – 86 Leaves of Tables
  • {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Pro Football Hall of Fame|p=}} |date=January 1, 2005 |title=Football And America: The Korean War |url=https://www.profootballhof.com/news/football-and-america-the-korean-war2/ |publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame |access-date=March 9, 2015}}
  • {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Grayson|p=}} |last1=Grayson |first1=Harry |author-link1=Harry Grayson |date=November 14, 1942 |title=Collins, Magliolo Pave Way for Texas Speedmen; Bible Develops Blockers and Steers Roll Onward |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/74866499/ |work=Mount Carmel Item |volume=55 |issue=12 |location=Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania |access-date=March 2, 2015 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription }}
  • {{cite book |ref={{SfnRef|Kassen|p=}} |last1=Kassen |first1=Leo Tex |last2=Munt |first2=Glada Carole |date=2000 |title=Southwestern Football Historical Review, 1908–1950 |url=http://www.southwestern.edu/athletics/SU_Football_Historical_Review_1908-1950.pdf |location=Georgetown, Texas |publisher=Southwestern University |oclc=46773530 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104113/http://www.southwestern.edu/athletics/SU_Football_Historical_Review_1908-1950.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}
  • {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Breckenridge American|p=3}} |date=November 28, 1947 |title=Miss Sunny Williams, Spot Collins to Wed in Austin December 20 |url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth133011/m1/3/zoom/ |access-date=March 10, 2015 |work=Breckenridge American |volume=27 |issue=269 |location=Breckenridge, Texas |via=Portal to Texas History }}
  • {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|AAFC Draft|1947|p=}} |title=1947 AAFC Draft List Held December 20-21, 1946 |url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1947aafcny.html |website=Pro Football Archives |access-date=March 13, 2015}}
  • {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Ratliff|p=8}} |last1=Ratliff |first1=Harold Vernon |date=December 3, 1946 |title=Rice, Arkansas Put Three on All-Southwest Conference Team |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/6025773/ |work=Lubbock Morning Avalanche |volume=25 |issue=23 |access-date=March 13, 2015 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription }}
  • {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Yellow Jacket|p=3}} |date=December 4, 1942 |title=Roy McKay Heads All-Southwest 11 |url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth102494/m1/3/zoom/ |access-date=March 13, 2015 |work=Yellow Jacket |volume=29 |issue=11 |location=Brownwood, Texas |via=Portal to Texas History }}
  • {{cite web |url=https://www.texashighschoolfootballhistory.com/brewer-clark.html |title=Coaches Records by Seasons: Brewer – Czarwitz |last=Smith |first=Joe Lee |website=Texas High School Football History |access-date=March 11, 2015 }}
  • {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|Collins Bio|p=}} |title=William Harold Collins |url=http://southwesternpirates.com/general/halloffame/bios/collins_william_harold00.html |website=Southwestern Pirates |access-date=March 9, 2015}}
  • {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Williams|p=}} |last1=Williams |first1=Johnny |date=July 31, 1946 |title=Spot Collins in Grid Limelight |url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth132624/m1/1/zoom/ |access-date=March 8, 2015 |work=Breckenridge American |volume=26 |issue=144 |via=Portal to Texas History }}

{{refend}}

External links

  • {{Footballstats |nfl= |cfl= |afl= |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |fox= |si= |pfr=C/CollBi21 |rotoworld= |dbf=}}

{{Texas Longhorns quarterback navbox}}

{{Southwestern Pirates football coach navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Spot}}

Category:1922 births

Category:1996 deaths

Category:American football offensive linemen

Category:American football quarterbacks

Category:Boston Yanks players

Category:Southwestern Pirates baseball coaches

Category:Southwestern Pirates football coaches

Category:University of Texas at Austin alumni

Category:Texas Longhorns football players

Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II

Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War

Category:United States Marine Corps officers

Category:People from Breckenridge, Texas

Category:Players of American football from Texas

Category:Military personnel from Texas