Floyd Lee Collier (May 10, 1924 – September 3, 2002) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player who played at the tackle position. He played college football for

San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

and

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, military football for the

1944 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils football team The 1944 Saint Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils football team represented the United States Navy pre-flight school at Saint Mary's College of California during the 1944 college football season. In its third season, the team compiled a 4–4 record, o ...

, and professional football for the 1948 San Francisco 49ers.

Early years

Collier was born in 1924 in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

. He attended and played football at

Exeter Union High School Exeter Union High School is located in Exeter, California, in Tulare County. Academics Exeter Union High School currently offers a curriculum that prepares its students for higher education, vocational training, and direct entry into the workf ...

Exeter, California Exeter is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. It is situated in the San Joaquin Valley near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The population was 10,334 at the 2010 census. Exeter is located on State Highway 65, south of High ...

Military and college football

After graduating from high school, Collier enrolled at San Jose State College in 1942. He was a member of the 1942 San Jose State Spartans football team and also competed in the discus and javelin throw for the San Jose State track team. His college career was interrupted by service in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. While serving in the Navy, he played as a first string tackle for the

that was ranked No. 19 in the final

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

. After the war, Collier enrolled at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and played on the

1946 USC Trojans football team The 1946 USC Trojans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1946 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Jeff ...

Professional football

Collier played professional football in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

for the 1948 San Francisco 49ers team that compiled a 12–2 record and averaged over 35 points per game. During the 49ers preseason training camp, Collier entertained the team by hypnotizing teammates

Verl Lillywhite Verl Thomas Lillywhite (December 5, 1926 – July 14, 2007) was an American football Halfback (American football), halfback who played four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He first enrolled at Modesto Junior College before transferring to th ...

and Paul Crowe into taking off their shoes and scratching their left feet. He appeared in 12 of the 49ers' 14 games.

Family and later years

Collier died in 2002 at age 78 in

Laguna Hills, California Laguna Hills (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in south Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Lagun ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, Flooyd 1924 births 2002 deaths San Francisco 49ers (AAFC) players USC Trojans football players San Jose State Spartans football players Players of American football from Fresno, California American football tackles United States Navy personnel of World War II San Francisco 49ers players