Tag: Alex Collins

Athletes and sports figures who have died in 2023

The notable athletes, broadcasters, and sports figures we’ve lost so far in 2023.

Arkansas football announces plans to honor Chris Smith, Ryan Mallett and Alex Collins

Hunter Yurachek shared how Arkansas plans to honor Chris Smith, Ryan Mallett and Alex Collins this season.

After the tragic passings of Chris Smith, Ryan Mallett and Alex Collins over the summer, Arkansas fans have shared numerous tributes for the three legendary players.

Fans have also offered countless ideas for how the football team could honor each this season. Today, Hunter Yurachek shared one way the school plans to remember Mallett and Collins, and how Smith will be honored later this year.

In a tweet, Yurachek shared that Collins and Mallett’s initials will be painted on the sidelines for every home game this year. The initials “AC” will be featured on the 3-yard line at each end of the field and the initials “RM” will be on the 15-yard line. The yard line coinciding with the jersey number that each player wore while at Arkansas.

Following the tweet, many fans asked what the school planned to do to honor Chris Smith. Yurachek announced shortly after that Smith’s family will serve as honorary captains later this November when the Razorbacks host Auburn in Fayetteville.

Saturday will mark Arkansas’ first true home game of the season. The Razorbacks will kickoff against Kent State at 3:00 p.m. and it will be televised on SEC Network.

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Enos has fond memories of former Razorback Alex Collins

Dan Enos coached Alex Collins for one season, but had fond memories of the Razorback legend.

Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos opened his Thursday press conference with an emotional remembrance of former Razorback Alex Collins, who tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident Sunday.

Enos was Collins’ OC in 2015, during the record-setting running back’s final season in Fayetteville, before he was drafted in the fifth round by the Seattle Seahawks and embarked on a five-year NFL career that included a stint with the Baltimore Ravens and a return to Seattle.

“Sad, sad news,” Enos said. “Alex was a great player, obviously. He was just a wonderful person. Great character. Smile on his face. Practiced really hard. Was a great teammate. His teammates loved him. He came to work every day and was super competitive. That’s what I loved about him. The bigger the moment, the year I was here with him, the better he played.”

Collins was driving his motorcycle in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., late Sunday night when he crashed into the rear passenger side of an SUV. Upon impact, he went through the vehicle’s rear passenger side window and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The stout 5-foot-11, 215-pound speedster, whose signature dreadlocks descended from his helmet, was one of only three SEC running backs to ever run for more than 1,000 yards in each of their first three seasons, joining fellow Razorback Darren McFadden and Georgia’s Herschel Walker.

During his junior season in Enos’ offense, Collins ran for 1,577 yards, while topping 150 yards in five games, with a hefty 5.8 yards per carry. He also finished with a school-record 20 touchdowns on the ground, earning All-SEC and All-American honors, and was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award.

He capped that season, and his Arkansas career, with 185 yards and three touchdowns, in a 45-23 win over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.

“He just did a tremendous job — not just as a player, but as a person,” said Enos, who was at Arkansas from 2015-17, before returning this season. “What a great young man. Was fun to be around and coach. It’s just heartbreaking. He had so much life left to live. Just a wonderful, beautiful person. Then you read all the things his teammates say about him. Not just here, but in the National Football League, as well. Obviously, prayers to his family. Just a wonderful human being.”

Collins sits only behind McFadden on Arkansas’ career rushing list with 3,703 yards. He rushed for more than 100 yards in 10 games in 2015, tying McFadden’s single-season mark, and is second to D-Mac in career 100-yard games with 17.

Photo gallery: Remembering Alex Collins through the years

Alex Collins had a memorable three-year career with the Razorbacks. He still holds the record for most rushing touchdowns in a season with 20 in 2015 and is second behind Darren McFadden all-time in career rushing yards.

Alex Collins was Bret Bielema’s first big signee after taking the Arkansas job in December 2012.

His three years saw him run wild for the Razorback offense as it made two bowl games and won both of them over Big 12 opponents Texas and Kansas State in the Texas and Liberty Bowl, respectively.

He parlayed his Arkansas success into a fifth round NFL Draft selection in 2016 by the Seattle Seahawks,

After playing with the Seahawks for a year and a half, he was eventually waived and was picked up by the Baltimore Ravens, where he led the team in rushing during the 2017 season with 973 yards and six touchdowns.

He had a second stint with the Seahawks before exiting the league and he got back into football with the USFL’s Memphis Showboats before his untimely passing.

Robert Griffin III shares an awesome story about Alex Collins

Collins clearly made a big impact on the people around him, especially former teammates and fans.

The NFL community is mourning the loss of former Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens running back Alex Collins, who died on Sunday night in an accident at just 28 years old. Collins clearly made a big impact on the people around him, especially former teammates and fans.

Here’s an awesome story about Collins that former Commanders and Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III shared on Twitter about a night out with Collins in Baltimore.

“Alex Collins was so special man. Amazing teammate and a guy everyone was down to kick it with. This man invited me and wifey out one time in Baltimore and I will never forget it. We show up to the spot and AC is no where to be found. We are looking around for him for 20 min and finally I feel a little nudge on my shoulder. I turnaround and AC is walking behind me, drops his shades to his nose and signals with his eyes to follow him. It was so funny and smooth, we forgot he was 20 min late. AC told us he had to be discreet because he couldn’t have everyone knowing he was there. The rest of the night, we found out why. Everywhere AC went that night everyone knew him. Everyone was excited to see him, laughing when he came around and showing him love. You see everyone loved this man and his energy was contagious. To end the night, he hit this dance with all the fans watching him on the dance floor. WHAT A NIGHT and WHAT A GUY AC WAS. Shared more laughs than people know and I’m blessed to have been your teammate my brother. Rest In Peace.”

More Seahawks Wire stories

41 photos from Alex Collins’ time with the Seahawks

Seahawks players share reactions to death of Alex Collins

Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, Bret Bielema and others remember Razorback legend Alex Collins

Alex Collins was as special of a person off the field as he was on it. That was evident from the many tributes shared following his passing.

The news of Alex Collins’ untimely passing sent shockwaves through the Arkansas fanbase and all corners of the football world.

As you read through the countless remembrances and condolences shared on social media, there’s a common theme. Alex Collins was just as special of a person off the field as he was on the field.

He only spent three seasons at Arkansas and had a few cups of coffee in the NFL, but it’s very evident that Collins left a mark on everyone who was lucky enough to know him.

Here’s just a few of the tributes and memories for Collins that were shared to social media.

41 photos from Alex Collins’ time with the Seattle Seahawks

Here are 41 photos from Collins’ all-too-short short time with the Seahawks.

The Seattle Seahawks picked former Arkansas running back Alex Collins in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Collins went on to appear in 25 regular season games during his time in Seattle, followed by 25 more with the Baltimore Ravens.

While Collins never made a Pro Bowl team or won a Player of the Week award, he nevertheless made a significant impact on the communities where he worked and played. Collins died tragically in a motorcycle accident on Sunday night and his death at just 28 years old has brought on some tremendous grief from both his former teammates and the fans who he brought so much joy to.

Today we’ll be doing our best to bring you all the usual Seahawks news while recognizing that our fanbase is in mourning. Tell the people you love that you love them because it’s all over so quick.

Here are 41 photos from Collins’ all-too-short short time with the Seahawks.

Seahawks players share reactions to death of Alex Collins

Here’s how Collins’ former teammates are reacting to the news on Twitter.

The Seattle Seahawks family lost a good one this week when former running back Alex Collins died in a motorcycle accident on Sunday night. While he was never a star, Collins was a popular player both with fans and his teammates and his death at just 28 years old has hit the community hard.

Here’s how Collins’ former Seattle teammates are reacting to the news on Twitter.

41 photos from Alex Collins’ time with the Seattle Seahawks

Former Arkansas running back Alex Collins passes away at age 28

Arkansas football has lost another legend way too soon as former running back Alex Collins has passed away at the age of 28.

[autotag]Arkansas football[/autotag] has lost another legend way too soon.

Former Razorback running back [autotag]Alex Collins[/autotag] passed away Monday at the age of 28, as confirmed by multiple sources. According to an official report from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Collins was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday evening.

Collins arrived in Fayetteville as part of Bret Bielema’s first recruiting class in 2013, and became an immediate threat in the Razorback backfield as a true freshman. Collins finished with 1,026 yards rushing and four touchdowns, earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors that season.

For his career at Arkansas, Collins finished with 3,703 yards and 36 touchdowns on 271 carries. He became only the third player in SEC history to begin his career with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, joining Darren McFadden and Georgia’s Herschel Walker. Collins also earned numerous All-SEC and All-Amercian honors in his three seasons at Fayetteville.

After the 2015 season, Collins declared for the NFL Draft and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round (171st overall). He spent a little over one year in Seattle before being waived and signed by the Baltimore Ravens. He spent two seasons with the Ravens before being waived after he was arrested following a car crash in 2019.

In 2020, the Seattle Seahawks signed Collins to their practice squad, and he saw action in a handful of games until the end of the 2021 season. He was a free agent for all of 2022 before signing with the USFL’s Memphis Showboats in January of this year.

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Former Seahawks RB Alex Collins has died at age 28

We at Seahawks Wire send our sincerest condolences and prayers to the Collins family at this time. 

In a stunning and tragic news update late Monday evening, former Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens running back Alex Collins has died. He was just under two weeks away from his 29th birthday.

The Ravens announced it on their Twitter account, and the Seahawks reiterated heartbroken sentiments.

Collins was drafted by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He found his footing in the league in Baltimore, rushing for a career-best 973 yards and six touchdowns during the 2017 season. Collins eventually returned to Seattle, where he played in 2020 and 2021.

This is a tragic story, and one where we do not have many details at this time. When more is known, we will update accordingly.

We at Seahawks Wire send our sincerest condolences and prayers to the Collins family at this time.

Seahawks players share reactions to death of Alex Collins

41 photos from Alex Collins’ time with the Seahawks