Ronald Dudley "Sammy" Collins (13 January 1923 – 31 May 1998) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

. He holds the record for most league goals scored by a

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

player. Collins began his career as a right winger with

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

, for whom he signed in November 1944. On the resumption of the Football League after the war, he struggled to make an impact at Ashton Gate and, after 2 goals in 14 league games he left to join

in June 1948. Over the next 10 years, Collins would score 204 league goals in 356 games for Torquay, a total that still stands today as the highest number of league goals by any Torquay player. He also holds the record for most league goals in a season after he hit 40 in 1955–56. In August 1956 he scored a penalty after only ten seconds of Torquay's game against

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

. He was Torquay's leading goalscorer seven seasons in a row and played a significant part in Torquay's emergence as one of the better sides in the Third Division (South). On leaving Torquay, he joined non-league side Gloucester City. He later ran a newsagents on Forest Road near the Plainmoor Ground in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

, before returning to his native Bristol to live in retirement. Collins died in hospital on 31 May 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Sammy 1923 births 1998 deaths Footballers from Bristol English footballers Gloucester City A.F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players Association football inside forwards