Dobson Collins (born July 12, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Gardner–Webb. Collins has also been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, BC Lions,

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

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 Fiel ...

, Ottawa Redblacks and Baltimore Ravens.

Early years

Collins was born in Miami, Florida and later moved to Stone Mountain, Georgia, where he attended Stone Mountain High School. He played high school football there and, in his senior year, recorded 21 receptions for 332 yards and two touchdowns.

College career

Collins played

and participated in track and field at

Gardner–Webb University Gardner–Webb University (Gardner–Webb, GWU, or GW) is a private Baptist university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). It was founded as Boili ...

. During his football career, he played in 42 games with 22 starts, caught 143 passes for 1,754 yards and 14 touchdowns as a wide receiver. He was a two-time All-Big South selection as a punt returner and wide receiver. In his freshman season, he caught eight passes for 55 yards. As a sophomore, he made eight receptions for 104 yards. In his junior year, he caught 51 passes for 649 yards and three touchdowns. As a senior, he made 76 receptions for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was ranked as one of the top punt returners in the conference with a 9.7 yards per punt return average. In track and field, he holds the school record in the 55, 60 and 110 meter hurdles. He was named the 2006 Atlantic Sun Conference champion in the 60 meter hurdles and was named the Freshman of the Year after his team won the outdoor track title that year.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Collins was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent following 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. T ...

. He was waived on September 5, 2009 during final roster cuts. He subsequently re-signed to the team's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on September 6. He was released from the practice squad on October 5.

Philadelphia Eagles

Collins was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad on October 22, 2009. He was re-signed to a three-year contract on January 11, 2010. He was waived on September 3.

BC Lions

Collins signed with the BC Lions on April 27, 2011. He was later released on August 8, 2011.

Edmonton Eskimos

On August 15, 2011, Collins was signed by the

after their receiving corps had been depleted by injuries. He was released on June 23, 2012.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On July 29, 2013, Collins signed with the

Ottawa Redblacks

On January 31, 2014, Collins signed with the expansion Ottawa Redblacks. He scored the first ever touchdown at TD Place Stadium in Redblacks history after he recovered an onside punt.

Montreal Alouettes

On February 20, 2015, Collins signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes. He played in one game against the Calgary Stampeders where he had three catches for 51 yards, but he had a costly fumble at the Calgary 2-yard line that ended an Alouette drive. He was subsequently released on August 10, 2015.

Baltimore Ravens

On October 25, 2016, Collins was signed to the Ravens' practice squad. He was released from the Ravens' practice squad on November 7, 2016.

Personal life

Collins majored in biology at

References

External links

Montreal Alouettes bioOttawa RedBlacks bioHamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Dobson 1987 births Living people Players of Canadian football from Georgia (U.S. state) BC Lions players Edmonton Elks players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Sportspeople from Stone Mountain, Georgia Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from DeKalb County, Georgia San Francisco 49ers players Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football players Ottawa Redblacks players Montreal Alouettes players Baltimore Ravens players