Reggie Collier
Reginald "Reggie" Collier (born May 14, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback best known for his college career at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he became the first NCAA Division I player to rush and pass for over 1,000 yards in a single season during 1981.[1][2] Standing at 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 207 pounds, Collier threw right-handed and demonstrated exceptional dual-threat ability, finishing ninth in Heisman Trophy voting that year while leading Southern Miss to a 9-2-1 record.[3][2] Over his collegiate tenure from 1979 to 1982, Collier amassed 6,434 passing yards with 61 touchdowns and rushed for 1,263 yards with additional scores, earning two third-team All-American honors and establishing records for versatility at the quarterback position.[4] His teams compiled a 31-13-2 record, with Collier starting 24-8-1, though passing totals in some summaries reflect partial seasons before his breakout.[2] Selected in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, his professional career proved brief and limited, spanning six games across stints with the Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, where he completed 12 of 22 passes for 206 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, alongside 73 rushing yards.[5][3] Post-retirement, Collier was inducted into the Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, recognizing his pioneering impact on option-style quarterback play.[1][2]Early Life
Childhood and Family Background
Reginald Collier was born on May 14, 1961, in Biloxi, Mississippi, into a modest family on the Gulf Coast.[2] Following his parents' divorce, he was raised primarily in nearby D'Iberville by his mother, Brenda, and grandparents, with his father's involvement limited thereafter.[6] Collier's grandfather, Bishop Robert Nance, presided over a strict religious household that emphasized discipline and viewed secular pursuits, including organized sports, as distractions "of the world."[6] This environment, rooted in coastal Mississippi's working-class communities, instilled early habits of self-reliance and perseverance, as external opportunities were scarce and family expectations centered on moral and spiritual fortitude rather than recreational activities.[6] In contrast to her father-in-law's opposition, Collier's mother provided encouragement for his interests, navigating her own challenges with substance abuse while supporting personal development in a setting where familial structure demanded individual initiative.[6] Collier periodically resided with his father during conflicts over such pursuits, reinforcing adaptive resilience shaped by inconsistent but demanding caregiving dynamics.[6]High School Football Career
Collier attended D'Iberville High School in D'Iberville, Mississippi, from 1976 to 1979.[2] He began organized high school football as a junior but was sidelined after playing only three games due to a broken collarbone, marking his initial emergence as a quarterback despite limited experience.[7] His first and only full season came as a senior in 1979, during which he demonstrated raw athletic potential in leading the team.[8] That year, Collier quarterbacked the D'Iberville Warriors to a perfect 13-0 record, culminating in the Mississippi Class 3A state championship.[2] Following the season, he earned recognition as the MVP of the Mississippi High School All-Star Football Game, highlighting his early promise as a dynamic playmaker.[2]College Career
Arrival at Southern Mississippi
Reginald Collier enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1979 as a lightly recruited quarterback from d'Iberville High School in Mississippi, receiving scholarship offers mainly from Southern Miss, Tulane, and Alcorn State.[1][2] During his freshman season in 1979, Collier appeared in 11 games but had minimal passing opportunities as a backup, completing 12 of 17 attempts for 125 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, reflecting an initial adjustment period in a program transitioning to emphasize his athleticism.[3] As a sophomore in 1980, Collier assumed the starting role for the Golden Eagles, an independent Division I-A team in a mid-major context that incorporated run-pass option elements to exploit quarterback mobility against superior competition.[9] He responded with 97 completions on 199 attempts for 1,268 passing yards and 7 touchdowns, alongside 464 rushing yards, signaling emerging dual-threat potential in a scheme suited to his speed and decision-making under pressure.[3][1] The Golden Eagles finished 1980 with a 6-5 record, buoyed by Collier's versatility amid a roster heavy on sophomores, including 55 underclassmen contributing to team leadership.[9]Breakthrough Seasons and Records
In the 1981 season, Collier became the first quarterback in NCAA Division I history to surpass 1,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a single year, totaling 1,004 passing yards on 81 completions out of 139 attempts while rushing for over 1,000 yards as Southern Mississippi finished 9-2-1 and achieved its highest-ever Associated Press ranking of No. 9.[10][2][11] This dual-threat milestone stemmed from his execution in the Golden Eagles' option-based offense, which leveraged his speed and vision to exploit defensive alignments, often forcing linebackers to hesitate between pass coverage and run pursuit, thereby creating lanes for either the keeper or pitch in veer plays.[12] Collier's ninth-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting reflected this impact, as his ability to read defenses pre-snap and adjust on the fly contributed to upsets like a 19-8 win over then-No. 17 Mississippi State and a 13-13 tie against No. 7 Alabama, where his mobility neutralized superior talent through sustained option chains.[10][2][13] Collier earned third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press in 1982, following a junior-year honorable mention from the United Press International, amid a campaign where his refined decision-making in option schemes propelled Southern Mississippi to notable victories against ranked opponents.[2][1] Key performances included a 58-14 rout of Florida State, in which he rushed for 150 yards before exiting early with the game in hand, and a 38-29 upset of No. 17 Alabama, showcasing his capacity to extend plays beyond the pocket and capitalize on defensive overcommitments to the run.[14][15] These outcomes arose from causal advantages in the wishbone-option system, where Collier's threat as both runner and passer compelled defenses to spread resources thin, enabling efficient yards after contact and high-percentage reads that outpaced opponents' adjustments.[16][12]Overall College Statistics and Recognition
Collier concluded his college career at the University of Southern Mississippi with 5,966 total offensive yards over 44 games played from 1979 to 1982, including 3,662 passing yards and 2,304 rushing yards.[3][2] He recorded 288 completions on 574 pass attempts for 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions (50.2% completion rate), alongside 446 rushing attempts for 26 touchdowns.[3] These totals reflected his role as an early dual-threat quarterback in Division I-A football, where he became the first NCAA player to exceed 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in a single season (1981).[2]| Category | Completions/Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | 288/574 | 3,662 | 16 | 15 INTs; 50.2% comp. rate |
| Rushing | 446 carries | 2,304 | 26 | - |
| Total Offense | - | 5,966 | 42 | 44 games |