Ben Collins (American football)
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1921 |
| Died | November 20, 2014 (aged 93) El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1940–1941 | West Texas State |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1946–1956 | Texas Western (assistant) |
| 1957–1961 | Texas Western |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1959–1961 | Texas Western |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 18–29–1 (.385) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| |
Benny Wesley Collins (April 1, 1921 – November 20, 2014)[1][2] was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Texas Western College—now the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)—from 1957 to 1961, compiling a record of 18–29–1.
Collins was a star halfback at West Texas State College—now West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. In 1941, he finished second in the nation in scored points with 132, behind Bill Dudley (134) of Virginia. Collins was selected by the Detroit Lions as the 185th overall pick in the 1942 NFL draft.[3]
Collins worked at Texas Western College from 1946 to 1961 and served as the school's athletic director and head football coach during his final five years.[4] Collins is known for hiring renowned college basketball coach Don Haskins in 1961.[5] In an article for the El Paso Times, Haskins is quoted saying, "[Collins] was behind me all the way."[6]
Collins, 93, and his wife, Mary Gene, 86, were killed November 20, 2014, when they were struck by a pickup truck while crossing a busy street in El Paso.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Western Miners (Border Conference) (1957–1961) | |||||||||
| 1957 | Texas Western | 6–3 | 3–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1958 | Texas Western | 2–7 | 1–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1959 | Texas Western | 3–7 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1960 | Texas Western | 4–5–1 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1961 | Texas Western | 3–7 | 1–3 | 4th | |||||
| Texas Western: | 18–29–1 | 9–15 | |||||||
| Total: | 18–29–1 | ||||||||
References
- ^ BEN and Gene COLLINS
- ^ Benny Wesley & Mary Gene Collins
- ^ "Detroit Lions Draft History, 1940-1949". Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
- ^ "University of Texas at El Paso Official Athletic Site - Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
- ^ "Player Bio: Don Haskins".
- ^ "Knight, B. (2008, September 7). Bear on the border: 25 years with Don Haskins. El Paso Times". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014.
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