Gary Collins ( American football ) Gary James Collins ( born August 20 , 1940 ) is a retired American football end and punter who played for the Cleveland Browns from 1962 to 1971 . Born in Williamstown , Pennsylvania , Collins attended Williamstown High School . and was recruited by the University of Maryland . During his three seasons ( 1959 - 61 ) with the Terrapins , he established a number of new school benchmarks , and left his mark on the Atlantic Coast Conference record book as well . In 1961 , he finished eighth in number of votes for the Heisman Trophy . The Browns chose Collins with the fourth draft pick in 1962 and immediately made him the starting punter , while also using him as a reserve for veteran receiver Ray Renfro . In 1963 , he moved into the starting lineup and led the team with 43 receptions and teamed with quarterback Frank Ryan to pace the league with 13 touchdown s catches . The latter mark broke a team record of nine , established by Dante Lavelli in 1947 . The following year , rookie Paul Warfield became Ryan ' s top receiver , but Collins developed a knack for coming through in the clutch . The first instance came in the season ' s second game , when he caught a fourth down pass from Ryan to set up a go - ahead touchdown against the St . Louis Cardinals . Saving the best for last , Collins sparkled in the 1964 NFL championship game , when he was on the receiving end of three touchdown passes from Ryan and won the game ' s Most Valuable Player award in the 27 - 0 upset over the Baltimore Colts . Building on the spectacular ending to that season , Collins followed with two more excellent campaigns in which he caught more than fifty passes and again finished in double digits in touchdown receptions . In 1965 , Collins led the Browns with 50 receptions for 884 yards , and his average of 46 . 7 yards per punt topped the NFL . His 56 catches for 946 yards again led the team in 1966 . In 1967 , Collins saw his numbers for both receiving and punting drop , but made his second - straight Pro Bowl appearance that year . The following year , Collins gave up his punting duties , but suffered a severe shoulder injury in the October 5 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers . The injury kept him out of action until the final week of the regular season and limited him to just nine receptions . While he made the most of those catches by averaging over 25 yards per grab , Collins caught no touchdown passes for the only time in his career . Collins bounced back in 1969 with 54 catches and 11 touchdown receptions and helped the Browns reach the NFL Championship game for the fourth time in six seasons . In 1970 , the punishing life of an NFL receiver began to catch up with him as he suffered from a number of rib injuries that limited him to 26 catches . In the team ' s December 12 game against the Dallas Cowboys , played in a driving rainstorm which turned the Cleveland Stadium surface into mud , a costly fumble by Collins after being hit in the ribs stopped a key drive and played a role in the team ' s 6 - 2 loss , a defeat that helped keep the team out of the postseason . The ascension of new head coach Nick Skorich in 1971 would eventually develop into a personality conflict between Collins and the new mentor . After ust 15 receptions that year , Collins announced during the offseason that he would retire unless he was traded to either the Washington Redskins or New York Jets . When neither team was able to work out a deal , Collins retired and took an assistant coaching position with Lebanon Valley College in Annville , PA . After leaving football altogether , he worked as an insurance agent in Hershey , PA . Collins retired with 339 receptions for 5 , 299 yards and 70 touchdowns . He remains the Browns ' leader in career receiving touchdowns , and his reception total ranks second only behind that of Ozzie Newsome . As a punter , he averaged 41 . 0 yards per attempt for his career . Those numbers have led some of Collins ' supporters to launch a quiet campaign for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame , citing the similarities between Collins ' career numbers and those of Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Lynn Swann . Gary Collins is a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington , D . C . National Collegiate All - American Football Players Honor Roll .