Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and Tennessee Titans. He played college football at Penn State, where he won the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award, and Sammy Baugh Trophy as a senior. Selected by the Panthers fifth overall in the 1995 NFL Draft, Collins was the franchise's first draft selection. In his second season, he helped the Panthers become the youngest NFL expansion team to clinch their division and (along with the Jacksonville Jaguars) appear in a conference championship, also earning him Pro Bowl honors. Collins served as the Giants' starting quarterback from 1999 to 2003, leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXV. Following a period of limited success, Collins earned a second Pro Bowl selection for helping the Titans obtain a league-best 13–3 record in 2008. He saw less playing time amid his final three years in the NFL, retiring after the 2011 season. Collins was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. Early years Collins was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He attended Lebanon High School, until 1987, when he transferred to Wilson High School in West Lawn, Pennsylvania, and played football, basketball, and baseball for the Wilson Bulldogs. College career Collins attended Pennsylvania State University, where he played for coach Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 1991 to 1994. As a senior quarterback in 1994, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from the Associated Press, United Press International, The Football News, the Football Writers Association of America, the Walter Camp Foundation and The Sporting News. Collins also captured two of college football's major postseason prizes – the Maxwell Award, presented to the nation's outstanding player, and the Davey O'Brien Award, which goes to the nation's top quarterback. Collins finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year. In addition, he was chosen UPI Back-of-the-Year and garnered Player-of-the-Year honors from ABC-TV/Chevrolet and the Big Ten Conference. Collins made a serious run at the NCAA season passing efficiency record, falling just four points short (172.8), the fourth-highest figure in NCAA annals. He broke Penn State season records for total offense (2,660), completions (176), passing yardage (2,679), completion