Chris Collinsworth Career Biography and Statistics

Bio:
Chris Collinsworth is known to many young football fans as a respected analyst for HBO and NBC. However, for a five-year stretch in the mid-1980s, Collinsworth was considered one of the NFL's most dangerous wide receivers.

A high school quarterback and sprinter (who was fast enough to challenge a horse, Mr. Hurry, in a novelty “Man vs. Beast" contest in 1985, which he lost), he was converted to wide receiver at the University of Florida, where he was an All-American. Collinsworth was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft.

He immediately became one of the league's most elusive receivers, combining his height advantage over most cornerbacks with his sprinters speed to become a legitimate "deep" threat. As a rookie, he both was named to the Pro Bowl and played in the Super Bowl. The latter was a mixed blessing for Collinsworth, as he caught four passes for 107 yards, but committed a costly fumble when hit by San Francisco 49ers defensive back Eric Wright in the Bengals'26-21 loss.

In 1985, Collinsworth signed with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the renegade United States Football League, but the contract was voided when he failed the physical due to a bad ankle. Collinsworth returned to the Bengals and played for them until the end of the 1988 season, and went out with a bang, catching three passes for 40 yards in the Final Game of his career-Super Bowl XXIII.

He then commenced a broadcasting career that has encompassed regular stints with HBO's Inside the NFL and NBC's NFL telecasts. Collinsworth has won two Sports Emmy awards.