Austin Kirk Collie (born November 11, 1985) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...
former professional
wide receiver. He was drafted by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
(NFL) in the fourth round (127th overall) in the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...
. He played
college football for the
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
Cougars
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...
. Collie also played in the NFL for the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Pat ...
and in the
Canadian Football League (CFL) for the
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place.
The Lions played their first season ...
.
Early life
Collie was born in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilto ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, to American parents Scott and Nicole Collie.
Scott Collie played football at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
(BYU) from 1979 to 1982 and played professionally in the
Canadian Football League (CFL) for the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fie ...
and briefly in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers during the 1983 pre-season.
Collie starred as a wide receiver at
Oak Ridge High School and garnered many awards. He was a PrepStar and SuperPrep All-American as well as being voted Northern California's Most Valuable Player. During his senior season, he recorded 60 receptions for a total of 978 yards and 18 touchdowns. In 2004, Collie became an
Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...
.
In December 2009, Collie's hometown newspaper, ''
The Sacramento Bee
''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...
'', named him Sacramento Area's Player of the Decade (2000–2009).
College career
In 2004, Collie was named MWC Freshman of the Year. He was also named the MVP of the
2007 Las Vegas Bowl and named to the All-MWC first-team in 2008.
Collie set a series of records during his three-year career at BYU (2004, 2007–2008).
Additionally, Collie was also one of the highest rated
wide receivers in college football during his junior season in which he was selected to the college football All–American team.
On January 9, 2009, Collie announced in a press conference that he would forgo his senior year and enter the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. ...
. The
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
drafted him in the fourth round, 127th overall.
Professional career
Indianapolis Colts
Collie impressed
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
Head Coach
Jim Caldwell in the preseason and was placed third on the depth chart at the wide receiver position for the
2009 season, placing ahead of
Pierre Garçon
Pierre Andre Garçon (; born August 8, 1986) is a former American Football wide receiver. He played college football at Norwich University and Mount Union College, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Dr ...
for the slot receiver position. However, Garçon soon jumped Collie on the depth chart shortly thereafter. Collie finished his rookie season in the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
among the top statistical leaders for all rookies at the wide receiver position.
Collie started his second year strong, making numerous touchdown catches and establishing himself as
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...
's "go-to guy" after
Dallas Clark
Dallas Dean Clark (born June 12, 1979) is a former American football tight end who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Iowa, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was reco ...
suffered a season-ending injury. However, on November 7, 2010, Collie was involved in a collision against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The t ...
, in which he was hit on both sides of his head by
Quintin Mikell
Quintin Perry Mikell (born September 16, 1980) is a former American football safety who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Boise State University, he was signed by the Philadelphia ...
and
Kurt Coleman
Kurt Coleman (born July 1, 1988) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.
Early years
Coleman graduated from Northmo ...
. Collie was taken off the field on a stretcher. According to a televised
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The co ...
update, Collie was seen sitting up and moving after several minutes working with medics. Collie suffered a concussion as a result of the collision. Coleman was penalized for unnecessary roughness for the hit on Collie, but neither player was fined, as the NFL later ruled that the contact that caused the injury was incidental as a result of Mikell's initial hit. On December 19, 2010, Collie was hit in the head by Jaguars linebacker
Daryl Smith and was down for several minutes. It was his second concussion-related injury that year and ultimately ended his 2010 season. Despite the fact that no fines were assessed, the highly visible injuries to Collie have added to the debate about violent hits in football. On December 22, 2010, Collie was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...
.
Collie played in all 16 games, making 5 starts, during the 2011 regular season, but managed to only catch one touchdown pass among his 54 receptions.
During a 2012 preseason game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
, Collie suffered his third concussion of his career. During the third game of the 2012 season against the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team plays ...
, Collie suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, causing him to miss the rest of the 2012 season.
On February 15, 2013, Collie was told he would not be re-signed by the Colts.
San Francisco 49ers
On August 2, 2013, the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National F ...
signed Collie to a 1-year contract. He was released on August 31, 2013, during final roster cuts.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots signed Collie as a free agent on October 3, 2013. He was signed for a one-year, veteran-minimum contract, which is $715,000 but prorated to $546,765. Due to Collie's previous injuries, the contract included an injury waiver, meaning the Patriots could release him if he was injured and only owe him a "split" (50%) of the contract. He was released November 5, 2013 because of a knee injury, after only 3 catches for 34 yards.
He was re-signed by the Patriots on December 5, 2013 to add depth with rookie wideouts
Aaron Dobson
Aaron Jameer Dobson (born July 23, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played college football at Marshall.
Early years
Dobson was born in D ...
and
Kenbrell Thompkins
Kenbrell Thompkins (born July 29, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football for El Camino College from 2008 to 2009 and for the University of Cincinnati from 2011 to 2012. He was signed as an undrafted free ...
dealing with nagging injuries. He was released once more on December 27, 2013, only to be re-signed on January 2, 2014. The Patriots released Collie again after the playoffs.
BC Lions
On January 29, 2015, the
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place.
The Lions played their first season ...
of the
Canadian Football League announced they had signed Collie to a contract. In his only CFL season, Collie played in 16 games, catching 43 passes for 439 yards with 7 touchdowns. Collie also recorded a touchdown as a passer, throwing a 21-yard score to quarterback
Jonathon Jennings on a trick play.
On April 8, 2016, Collie announced his retirement from professional football.
Career NFL statistics
Personal life
After retiring from professional football Collie joined Cognitive FX, a concussion treatment center.
See also
*
List of NCAA major college football yearly receiving leaders
The list of college football yearly receiving leaders identifies the major college receiving leaders for each season from 1937 to the present. It includes yearly leaders in three statistical categories: (1) receptions, (2) receiving yardage; (3) y ...
References
External links
BC Lions bioNFL bioNew England Patriots bio
Indianapolis Colts bio
BYU bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collie, Austin
1985 births
Living people
People from El Dorado Hills, California
Latter Day Saints from California
Sportspeople from Hamilton, Ontario
Players of Canadian football from Ontario
American football wide receivers
BYU Cougars football players
Indianapolis Colts players
San Francisco 49ers players
New England Patriots players
American players of Canadian football
Canadian football wide receivers
BC Lions players
American Mormon missionaries in Argentina
Canadian players of American football