Andrew Jon McCollum (born June 2, 1970) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
center for 15 seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
for three teams. He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at
Toledo Rockets
The Toledo Rockets are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Toledo. The Rockets compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The ...
. He was signed by the
Milwaukee Mustangs as a
street free agent
A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like streetlights or benches. A stree ...
in 1994.
McCollum also played for the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
,
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
, and
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
. He earned a
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl ring offers a collectible memento for the actual players and t ...
with the Rams in
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...
.
Early life
McCollum attended
Revere High School in
Richfield, Ohio
Richfield is a village in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,729 at the 2020 census. It is located midway between Akron and Cleveland and is part of the Akron metropolitan area.
History
Richfield was founded in 1809 and i ...
.
New Orleans Saints
McCollum was a center and guard for the New Orleans Saints from 1994 to 1999.
St. Louis Rams
In his first year with the Rams (1999), McCollum was a reserve offensive lineman of the winning team of
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...
. McCollum took over from
Mike Gruttadauria as the starting center for the St. Louis Rams in his second year with that team (2000), the first under first-time NFL head coach
Mike Martz
Michael Martz (born May 13, 1951) is an American American football, football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the History of the St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL), he served as the offensive coor ...
, their offensive coordinator of the previous year.
[ ] Thanks to a strong offensive line of McCollum, guards
Tom Nütten and
Adam Timmerman, and tackles
Orlando Pace
Orlando Lamar Pace (born November 4, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams. Pace played college football fo ...
and
Ryan Tucker, the Rams won a wildcard playoff berth with a 10–6 won-lost record and 540 points scored (33.8 points per game, 1st in the NFL), but lost a wild card game of the
2000–01 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2000 season began on December 30, 2000. The postseason tournament concluded with the Baltimore Ravens defeating the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, 34–7, on January 28, 2001, at Raymond James S ...
to the New Orleans Saints, despite
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, whi ...
's 365 yards in the air, the offensive line allowing 2 sacks for 15 yards. The following year, the Rams' record was a powerful 14–2 and 503 points scored (31.4 points per game, 1st in the NFL), winning the west division title again. In the
2001–02 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2001 season began on January 12, 2002. The postseason tournament concluded with the New England Patriots defeating the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, 20–17, on February 3, at the Louisiana S ...
with the same offensive line except for
Rod Jones (offensive lineman)
Rodrek Edward Jones (born January 11, 1974) is an American former professional football offensive tackle who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 1996 NFL ...
replacing Tucker at right tackle, St. Louis won the divisional round game against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
and the NFC championship game 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
with over 200 net passing yards in each game. However, the Rams lost
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, despite 337 net passing yards. In 2002, Warner was injured for most of the year, replaced by
Marc Bulger, less effective as the Rams missed the playoffs with a record of 7–9.
With Bulger as the new quarterback, and Warner in reserve, St. Louis came back strong in 2003 with a 12–4 record, 1st in the
NFC West
The National Football Conference – Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Card ...
, and 447 points scored (27.9 points/game), 2nd in the NFL. But in the
2003–04 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2003 season began on January 3, 2004. The postseason tournament concluded with the New England Patriots defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, 32–29, on February 1, at Reliant Stad ...
, the Rams lost to the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
in the divisional round, despite 316 net passing yards. In that game, as well as throughout the year, McCollum played left guard in place of the injured Nütten, with
Dave Wohlabaugh at center. In 2004, with Bulger as the regular starter and McCollum back at center, the team was only 8–8, but still qualified for a wild card game in the
2004–05 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2004 NFL season, 2004 season began on January 8, 2005. The postseason tournament concluded with the New England Patriots defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, 24–21, on February 6, ...
, beating the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
with the same basic offensive line (McCollum at center, Nütten and Timmerman at guards, Pace and a new offensive right tackle,
Blaine Saipaia. But the Rams lost 47–17 in the divisional round to the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
, as they could not control
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player who is the Head coach, head football coach at Norfolk State Spartans football, Norfolk State University. He played quarterback in the National F ...
's running and passing. The Rams did not make the playoffs in McCollum's last 3 years with the team, up to 2007, when their record was a dismal 3–13.
McCollum started all 16 games for 6 years from 2000 to 2005, but played and started in 1 game in 2006 and started in 10 games in 2007. In 2006, he was replaced as the starting center by
Richie Incognito. But Incognito was injured through most of 2007, starting in 4 games, and so McCollum returned briefly as the starter. In 2008, Incognito became the starting right guard and
Brett Romberg among others became the center.
Detroit Lions
McCollum ended his career in 2008, starting 4 games, playing in 12, for a
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
team that finished with a 0–16 record.
[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCollum, Andy
1970 births
Living people
Players of American football from Akron, Ohio
American football centers
Toledo Rockets football players
Milwaukee Mustangs (1994–2001) players
Barcelona Dragons (NFL Europe) players
New Orleans Saints players
St. Louis Rams players
Detroit Lions players