Peach Bowl Honorary Captains named ahead of Penn State, Ole Miss match-up

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ATLANTA, Ga. (WHTM) – The tradition of honoring past players from the schools competing in the Peach Bowl continues this year with Penn State and Ole Miss’s honorees being revealed Tuesday.

Penn State will welcome College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kerry Collins for the coin toss.

Collins played for Penn State from 1991-1994 and helped the Nittany Lions to a 40-9 record and four consecutive bowl appearances. In his final season with Penn State Collins led the Nittany Lions to an undefeated 12-0 season, their first Big Ten title and a No. 2 end-of-season ranking.

For Collins’s efforts, the quarterback was named a 1994 consensus First Team All-American, earned the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards, was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and received the Big Ten Silver Football Award.

Collins is the Penn State single-season record holder for completion percentage (66.7%) and passing efficiency (172.9). Collins broke nine single-season records for his alma mater during the 1994 season and led his team to have the top-scoring offense in the nation and the best total offense.

Collins left Penn State with 5,304 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, which both remain in the top 10 for program stats. The Lebanon, Pennsylvania native was drafted as the fifth overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

Collins had a storied 17-year NFL career where he earned Pro Bowl selection twice and ranks in the top 20 in NFL history for career passing yards and completions. Throughout his professional tenure, he played for the Panthers, New Orleans, the New York Giants, the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee and Indianapolis before retiring in 2011.

Collins had his College Football Hall of Fame induction in 2018.

Former Ole Miss wide receiver Donte Moncrief was selected to represent the Rebels.

Two patients from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Chance Meadows and Colton Hall, along with current team captains for each team will accompany the alumni for the coin toss.

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