James Brian Collins (born June 11, 1958) is an American former professional football player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in 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 ...

(NFL). He played college football for the

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is Ott ...

. He played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and was named to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

in 1985. He also played for the San Diego Chargers.

Early years

Collins graduated from West Morris Mendham High School in the Class of 1976, where, as a senior, he helped lead his

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

team to a still standing club record eight

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s and its only state championship victory to date. He subsequently attended Syracuse University on a full

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United ...

at linebacker. In 1980, Collins was an honorable mention All-American by the

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. He was later named to the Syracuse all-century team.

Professional career

Collins was selected in the second round (43rd overall pick) of the 1981 NFL Draft as a linebacker by the Los Angeles Rams. He was considered a leader of the Rams' defense of the mid-1980s. He made one appearance in the

, with the Rams in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, and was a Pro Bowl alternate in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. Due to a shoulder injury, Collins spent the 1986 season on the

injured reserve list 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 th ...

. Overall, he played in the NFL for seven seasons with the Rams (1981–1985, 1987–1988), and then spent one season with the San Diego Chargers (1989). Collins also appeared in the 1986 Rams promotional video, ''Let's Ram It'', where he goes by the nickname "Babyface" and refers to himself as a "tacklin' fool on the football field."

References

1958 births American football linebackers Living people Los Angeles Rams players National Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Morris County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Orange, New Jersey Players of American football from Essex County, New Jersey San Diego Chargers players Syracuse Orange football players West Morris Mendham High School alumni {{linebacker-1950s-stub