Blanton Collier
Paris HS (KY) | |
1944–1945 | Great Lakes Navy (asst.) |
---|---|
1946–1953 | Cleveland Browns (asst.) |
1954–1961 | Kentucky |
1962 | Cleveland Browns (asst.) |
1963–1970 | Cleveland Browns |
Awards | NFL champion ( United States |
Service/ | U.S. Navy |
Years of service | 1943–1945 |
Unit | Great Lakes Training Station |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Blanton Long Collier (July 2, 1906 – March 22, 1983) was an American football head coach who coached at the University of Kentucky between 1954 and 1961 and for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL) between 1963 and 1970. His 1964 Browns team won the NFL championship and remains the second-most recent Cleveland professional sports team to win a title.[1]
Collier grew up in
Collier was fired after the 1961 season and Brown rehired him as an assistant.
Collier was well-liked by players and renowned as a good sportsman and student of the game. The Kentucky chapter of the NFL Players Association in 2007 established the Blanton Collier Award in his honor. The Paris High School football field is named after him.
Early life and college career
Born in
High school and assistant coaching career
Collier went to work at Paris High School in 1928 as a mathematics teacher, and coached several of the school's sports teams.[4] He got the nickname "George" when he was a teacher because he affectionately called most of his male students "George" and most of his female students "Martha".[5] He married Mary Varder from Paris in 1930, and spent 16 years at the high school before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1943 during World War II.[4] Collier's Paris football team had an overall record of 73–50–10.[7] Collier was 37 years old when he joined the military; although he likely could have avoided enlisting because he was a teacher and had a family, he felt serving in the war was his duty.[8]
Collier was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station north of Chicago, where he was a survival swimming instructor.[8] In the Navy, Collier first had trouble with his hearing, a problem that bothered him later in life. He was once called to report to his ship over a loudspeaker, but did not hear it.[8] Doctors thought his hearing may have been damaged by teaching swimming in a tidal pool or from practicing on the shooting range.[8] "It never became an issue until the Navy, when they figured he had less than 40% of a normal person's hearing," his daughter Kay Collier-Slone said in 1997.[8] To compensate for his hearing loss, Collier became an expert lip reader.[8]
At Great Lakes, Collier went regularly to observe the practices of the station's service football team, the Great Lakes Bluejackets.[9] There, he met Paul Brown, who had left a head-coaching job at Ohio State University to serve in the Navy and lead the Bluejackets team.[6][9] Collier took notes and hoped to pick up some football knowledge he could use when he returned to Paris.[10] Brown, however, noticed Collier's dedication, and brought him onto his staff as a volunteer assistant.[9]
In 1945, Brown was hired by Arthur B. McBride as the first coach of the Cleveland Browns, a team under formation in the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC).[11] Brown hired Collier as a backfield coach for the team, which was set to begin play in 1946.[6] Initially, his specialty was pass defense, but Brown soon rewarded Collier's extensive football knowledge with a broader assistant coaching assignment.[6]
Collier served under Brown from 1946 to 1953, a period in which the team won all four titles in the AAFC before moving to the National Football League (NFL) in 1950.[12] That season, the Browns captured the NFL title and then reached but lost the following three championship games.[13] Collier's coaching style was the opposite of Brown's; Brown was a disciplinarian whose stern nature and aloofness often brought him into conflict with players, while Collier was a friendly, warm man whose patience and studiousness endeared him to players.[6] "Everything had to be perfect; he was a stickler on perfection – but at the same time, he had great patience," Browns quarterback Otto Graham said.[6] After the 1946 season, Brown asked Collier to analyze every play run by the offense, and Collier came up with a detailed breakdown of why each play succeeded or failed. This was the genesis of an annual grading system Collier developed to evaluate players' performances. The Browns used it for many years.[14]
University of Kentucky
When
Despite a winning record, Collier was fired in January 1962, when he was making
Kentucky's football program was overshadowed by its successful
Cleveland Browns
After losing his job at Kentucky, Collier said he was unsure what he would do next.[20] "Right now I feel I would like to remain in football if the opportunity presents itself," he said.[20] Two weeks later, Brown brought him back onto the Cleveland Browns staff as an offensive assistant.[25] Collier and Brown had remained close friends during his time at Kentucky. Collier attended the Browns' training camps in Ohio during the summers, and Brown's family visited Collier on occasion in Lexington.[10] Collier said he was happy to be back with the Browns, saying it was "like returning home".[26] Brown praised Collier's teaching and called him a "scientific football man" and "one of my closest friends".[26]
By the time Collier rejoined the Browns, the team was in the throes of a transition. Art Modell had bought the club in 1961, and was locked in a bitter power struggle with Brown.
Brown made some changes as a result of the pressure from his players and Modell, and allowed Collier to put into place a "check-off system" that allowed the quarterback to run several approved alternative plays to the ones Brown called.[26] When Collier was praised in the Cleveland Press for instituting the system successfully, however, Brown put an end to it.[26] "The players believed that Paul was upset when Blanton received some good press," former Browns quarterback Jim Ninowski said in 1997. "Paul just junked Blanton's system, as if to say, 'Hey, I'm running the show now'."[31] As Collier grew apart from Brown, he became closer to Modell, who enjoyed discussing football minutiae with him.[32]
After a 7–6–1 season in 1962, Modell fired Brown and offered the head-coaching job to Collier.[33] Collier told Modell he first needed the blessing of his wife and of Brown, to whom he still felt a sense of loyalty. He called Brown, who told him he had to take the job because he had a family to support.[34] Collier accepted a three-year contract that would pay him $35,000 a year (about $348,000 in 2023 dollars).[34] In contrast with Brown, Collier was almost universally liked by players and other coaches.[35] He was soft-spoken, which was unusual for a head coach, but he earned the respect of the team with his extensive knowledge and his willingness to give players more freedom than Brown ever did. One significant difference was his approach to play-calling. Like Brown, Collier served as his own play-caller. However, he let Frank Ryan, who replaced Plum as the team's starting quarterback in 1963, change plays at the line of scrimmage, and allowed more flexibility in pass routes and blocking schemes.[36]
The changes paid off. In 1963, the team finished 10–4, and Jim Brown broke the NFL's single-season rushing record with 1,863 yards.
1964 championship
Cleveland climbed back to the top of the Eastern Conference in 1964 with a 10–3–1 record behind Jim Brown's league-leading 1,446 yards of rushing and reached the
The strategy worked, and in Cleveland Municipal Stadium two days after Christmas, the Browns beat the Colts 27–0.[43] The Browns scored 10 points in the third quarter and a further 17 in the fourth, clinching the team's first title since Otto Graham's departure after the 1955 season.[44]
Later Seasons
The Browns ended with an 11–3 record the following year, and comfortably won the East for the second year in a row.[45] That set up a second straight appearance in the NFL Championship game, this time in Green Bay against the Packers. The teams battled it out on a slippery, mucky Lambeau Field on January 2, 1966. While score was close early on, Vince Lombardi's team held the Browns scoreless in the second half, winning 23–12 in an upset on a Paul Hornung touchdown.[46] Despite Jim Brown's retirement after the 1965 season, the Browns had another four consecutive winning seasons and advanced to the NFL championship game in 1968 and 1969 under Collier, but lost both times.[47][48]
Plagued by hearing problems, the 64-year-old coach announced his retirement before the end of the 1970 season, which the Browns finished with a 7–7 record.[49] Collier told Modell that he could no longer hear his players, and it was difficult to read their lips through new face masks that obscured their mouths.[50] Modell tried to help by getting Collier to try new hearing aids, and even sent him for acupuncture treatment, but none of it worked.[51] Collier struggled during press conferences because he often could not hear what reporters were asking and answered the wrong questions.[52] In eight years as coach, Collier led Cleveland to a championship and a 76–34–2 record.[49] Nick Skorich, who came to the Browns as offensive coordinator in 1964, was named as his successor on January 7, 1971.[53]
Later life and death
Collier continued to work with the Browns after he stepped down, serving as a scout and quarterbacks coach until leaving the game for good in 1976.
Collier was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1976, and retired to a house on a lake in Texas, where he played golf and visited with friends and family.[50] He died of the disease in 1983.[3] His wife died in 1996 and was buried next to him in Paris, Kentucky.[50] Collier and his wife had three daughters, Carolyn, Jane, and Kay.[7]
Legacy
Collier was recognized after his death for his sportsmanship, intelligence, and mild manner. He was inducted into the University of Kentucky College of Education Hall of Fame in 2001.[56] In 2007, the Kentucky chapter of the NFL Players Association established a Blanton Collier Award given annually to a football player or players who excel both on and off the field.[57] Past winners include Tony Dungy, Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, and the Manning family: Archie, Olivia, Cooper, Peyton, and Eli.[57] A group of former Kentucky players in 2008 started the Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group, which promotes ethics, education, and integrity in sports.[58] The nonprofit organization now oversees the Blanton Collier Award.[57]
The Professional Football Researchers Association named Collier to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2009.[59]
The football stadium at Paris High School is named after Collier.[60]
Head-coaching record
College
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kentucky Wildcats (Southeastern Conference) (1954–1961) | |||||||||
1954 | Kentucky | 7–3 | 5–2 | T–3rd | |||||
1955 | Kentucky | 6–3–1 | 3–3–1 | T–7th | |||||
1956 | Kentucky | 6–4 | 4–4 | 6th | |||||
1957 | Kentucky | 3–7 | 1–7 | 12th | |||||
1958 | Kentucky | 5–4–1 | 3–4–1 | T–6th | |||||
1959 | Kentucky | 4–6 | 1–6 | 10th | |||||
1960 | Kentucky | 5–4–1 | 2–4–1 | 9th | |||||
1961 | Kentucky | 5–5 | 2–4 | 8th | |||||
Kentucky: | 41–36–3 | 21–34–3 | |||||||
Total: | 41–36–3 |
NFL
Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
CLE | 1963 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 71.4 | 2nd in Eastern Conference | – | – | – | – |
CLE | 1964 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 76.9 | 1st in Eastern Conference | 1 | 0 | 100.0 | Beat Baltimore Colts in NFL Championship game |
CLE | 1965 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 78.6 | 1st in Eastern Conference | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | Lost to Green Bay Packers in NFL Championship game |
CLE | 1966 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 64.3 | 2nd in Eastern Conference | – | – | – | |
CLE | 1967 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 64.3 | 1st in Century Division | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | Lost to Dallas Cowboys in Eastern conference championship game |
CLE | 1968 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 71.4 | 1st in Century Division | 1 | 1 | 50.0 | Beat Dallas Cowboys in Eastern Conference championship game. Lost to Baltimore Colts in NFL Championship game |
CLE | 1969 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 76.9 | 1st in Century Division | 1 | 1 | 50.0 | Beat Dallas Cowboys in Eastern Conference championship game. Lost to Minnesota Vikings in NFL Championship game |
CLE | 1970 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 50.0 | 2nd in AFC Central | – | – | – | |
CLE Total | 76 | 34 | 2 | 69.1 | 3 | 4 | 42.9 | |||
Source: Pro-Football-Reference |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Collier dies, fine coach". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. March 24, 1983. p. 30.
- ^ Ron Borges (March 16, 2020). "State Your Case: Blanton Collier won enough games to coach his way into Canton". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Blanton Collier dead of cancer". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 29, 1983. p. 18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kelber 1992, p. 214.
- ^ a b Pluto 1997, p. 67.
- ^ a b c d e f Piascik 2007, p. 17.
- ^ a b "Paris To Honor Blanton Collier And Delza Maggard At Big Orange Preview". Paris High School. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Pluto 1997, p. 68.
- ^ a b c Keim 1999, p. 140.
- ^ a b Pluto 1997, p. 53.
- ^ Piascik 2007, pp. 11–12.
- ^ Piascik 2007, pp. 64, 81, 121, 145.
- ^ Piascik 2007, pp. 181, 233, 253, 281.
- ^ Keim 1999, pp. 140–141.
- ^ Keim 1999, p. 141.
- ^ a b "History and Tradition". University of Kentucky. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "Mills Sparks Kentucky Past Georgia Tech". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Atlanta. Associated Press. October 24, 1954. p. 14. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "Kentucky Gains 21–14 Win Over Mississippi". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Lexington, Ky. Associated Press. September 25, 1955. p. 9. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ Hudson, Bill (November 24, 1957). "Michaels Sparks Kentucky To 20–6 Victory Over Vols". The News and Courier. Lexington, Ky. Associated Press. p. 3D. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Kentucky Gives Collier Gate". The Miami News. Lexington, Ky. Associated Press. January 3, 1962. p. 2C. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ "Kentucky Hires Bryant Aide Bradshaw". Middlesboro Daily News. Lexington, Ky. Associated Press. January 12, 1962. p. 12. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ Pluto 1997, p. 66.
- ^ a b "People". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 40, no. 5. February 4, 1974. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
- ^ Oremland, Brad (February 29, 2008). "The NFL Coaching Tree 2008". Sports Central. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "Collier And Brown Equally Delighted". Toledo Blade. Cleveland. Associated Press. January 16, 1962. p. 17. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Pluto 1997, p. 54.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 47–49.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 50–51.
- ^ Pluto 1997, p. 52.
- ^ Pluto 1997, p. 48.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 54–55.
- ^ Pluto 1997, p. 55.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 59, 64.
- ^ a b Pluto 1997, p. 65.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 66–67.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 73–75.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 73, 77.
- ^ a b Pluto 1997, p. 78.
- ^ Pluto 1997, p. 79.
- ^ "1964 Cleveland Browns Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 122–124.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 131–132.
- ^ Pluto 1997, p. 148.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 150–151.
- ^ "1965 Cleveland Browns Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
- ^ Page 2010, pp. 206–209.
- ^ "Collier Laments Mistakes, Praises Victors". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Cleveland. Associated Press. December 30, 1968. p. 18. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "Collier Knew Vikes Had It". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. St. Paul-Minneapolis. Associated Press. January 5, 1970. p. 24. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ a b "Browns' Blanton Says He's Retiring This Year". Rochester Sentinel. December 2, 1970.
- ^ a b c Pluto 1997, p. 297.
- ^ Pluto 1997, pp. 69–70.
- ^ Pluto 1997, p. 70.
- ^ "Name Nick Skorich New Browns' Coach". Bangor Daily News. Cleveland. Associated Press. January 8, 1971. p. 7. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ Keim 1999, p. 144.
- ^ "Collier named all-star coach". Star-News. Chicago. United Press International. February 20, 1971. p. 1C. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "Blanton Long Collier (1906–1983)". University of Kentucky. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c "The 2012 NFLPA, Kentucky Chapter Blanton Collier Award". Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "About Us-Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group, Inc". Blanton Collier Sportsmanship Group. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ "Hall of Very Good Class of 2009". Archived from the original on March 12, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Blanton Collier Stadium gets makeover". WKYT. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
Bibliography
- Cantor, George (2008). Paul Brown: The Man Who Invented Modern Football. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-57243-725-8.
- Keim, John (1999). Legends by the Lake: The Cleveland Browns at Municipal Stadium. Akron, OH: University of Akron Press. ISBN 978-1-884836-47-3.
- Kelber, John E. (1992). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-813-11772-0.
- Page, Joseph S. (2010). Pro Football Championships Before the Super Bowl: A Year-by-Year History, 1926–1965. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-4809-8.
- Piascik, Andy (2007). The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-571-6.
- ISBN 978-1-886228-72-6.