Kerry Collins

A 1990 graduate of Wilson High School, where he was an all-state quarterback in football, a second-team all-county center in basketball and an all-county pitcher in baseball. In football, he led the Bulldogs to a 14-1 record as a senior in 1989, the District 3 Class 4A championship and a runner-up finish in the PIAA playoffs. In baseball, he helped lead Wilson to the 1988 District 3 Class 3A title and a runner-up finish in the PIAA playoffs as a sophomore. He was later drafted twice by Toronto and Detroit as a pitcher. At Penn State, Collins started two seasons (1993-94) at quarterback and led the Nittany Lions to a 19-2 record and wins in the Citrus Bowl and Rose Bowl. As a senior, he won the Silver Football as the Big Ten Player of the Year, the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best player and the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s best quarterback while leading Penn State to a 12-0 record and averages of 47.8 points and 520.2 yards per game. He set school records for completion percentage (.667) and pass efficiency (172.96) that still stand. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. Collins was the first draft pick of the expansion Carolina Panthers, who drafted him fifth overall in 1995. He played 17 seasons in the NFL for the Panthers, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. He led the Panthers to the NFC title game in the 1996 season and the Giants to the Super Bowl in the 2000 season. He was a two-time Pro Bowl pick and still ranks in the top 25 in NFL history in passing yards (40,922), passes completed and attempted and game-winning drives (30).