He was a quarterback and guard who led the Texas Longhorns to their first bowl game; and – 28 miles (45 km) north of Austin, in Georgetown, during his military service – he led the Southwestern University Pirates to the 1944 Sun Bowl where he was the game's MVP.
William Harold Collins was a star in football, baseball and basketball at Breckenridge High School, which he attended from 1936 to 1940.
[2][3] When the season was over, he played in the annual Texas High School Football Coaches Association All-Star game.
In 1941, Collins played guard on the varsity and earned a letter despite missing the end of the season with a knee injury.
[8] Following the 1942 season, Collins joined the Marine Corps and, along with eight other Longhorns, was sent to Southwestern University as part of the V-12 program.
[12][12] After returning from the war, Collins was hired as the head coach at Vernon High School from 1952 to 1954, where his teams posted a combined record of 14–13–3.
[13] He earned a master's degree in education from Texas in 1954[14] and then entered the insurance industry in Austin in 1956 where he worked until his retirement.
Collins died on March 26, 1996, in Temple, Texas, and was buried at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery.