Emory Collier graduated from Mays High School in 1958 and was the class Salutatorian. Emory was a quarterback for the football team. He started varsity football during his sophomore, junior and senior year. Emory was a member of the varsity baseball team sophomore through senior year. He was a captain in both sports his senior year. In football, Emory helped lead his football team to two all conference championships in 1955 and 1956. He was a member of the Ram teams that registered a 17-2 record over two years. In 1957, the football team had one of its most successful seasons ever. The Rams went 9-1 and the only loss was by a 7-6 score to Carver High of Coconut Grove (Big Nine Conference champion). The Rams finished as Conference Runner Up. The Rams competed in the all-Black Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association in the days before integration. In baseball, Emory led his team to the state baseball tournament as a junior and was an offensive catalyst and an excellent defensive 2nd baseman. The Rams defeated New Stanton High of Jacksonville by a score of 12-1 to win the state championship. It was the school’s first state title in any sport.
He was also named the Most Valuable Player for the Rams. He capped his senior year off by being named most outstanding athlete for 1957-58. He was also an outstanding student who was active in many organizations.
Upon graduation, Emory attended Florida A&M University on a football scholarship where he was a two-time All-Conference player and led the Rattlers to two Black College National Championships and four SIAC titles. As a quarterback in football for the Rattlers, his accomplishments/awards include selection as the Snake Pit Award his freshman year for being the outstanding engineer and Football Team MVP as a junior. During Emory’s senior year in football, he received the J. B. Bragg Memorial Trophy for most outstanding all-around senior player and the Sportsmanship award of the Tallahassee Quarterback Club. He led the team completing 45 passes for 742 yards and six touchdowns as a senior. He was inducted into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also named to Florida A&M’s Centennial Football team in 2005. He received a B.S. degree from Florida A&M University. He later attained two Master’s degrees from the University of Miami and Troy University and was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
After graduation from College, Emory was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer. He was an assistant coach and teacher at his alma mater Mays for one year prior to joining the military. He retired from the U.S. Army after 24 years of military service at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After retirement from active service in the army, he resumed his work as a teacher in the Muscogee County School District at Eddy Middle School and as an ROTC Instructor at Columbus State University. He passed away in 2005.
Here’s a list of the awards Collier has received:
-1955 Member of the Conference Champion Football Team
-1956 Member of the Conference Champion Football Team
-1957 Team Captain in baseball
-1957 Member of the Conference Runner-up Football Team
-1957 Member of the State Baseball Championship team
-1957 Most Valuable Player
-1957 Team Captain in football
-1958 Team Captain in baseball
-1958 Outstanding Athlete
1958 Salutatorian of Mays High School Class of 1958
-1959 Black College Football National Championship
-1959 Snake Pit Award for best player on the reserve unit
-1960 Second Team All-SIAC
-1961 Black College Football National Championship
-1961 Honorable Mention All-SIAC
-1961 J.R.E. Lee Memorial Trophy for 1960 Football Team MVP
-1962 Tallahassee Quarterback Club Award for Sportsmanship
-1962 J. B. Bragg Sr. Memorial Award for most outstanding all-around senior
-1962 Commissioned as Second Lieutenant through Army ROTC
-1962 Branch Assignment, Infantry
-1962 Graduated with honors
-1962 Named Assistant Coach at Miami Mays High School
-2002 Inducted into the Florida A&M Sports Hall of Fame
-2005 Named to the FAMU’s All Centennial Football Team (1905-2005)
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