 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Neal Colzie" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| No. 45, 20 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1953-02-28)February 28, 1953 Fitzgerald, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | August 20, 2001(2001-08-20) (aged 48) Miami, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Coral Gables Senior (Coral Gables, Florida) | ||||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1975: 1st round, 24th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Cornelius Connie "Neal"Colzie (February 28, 1953 – August 20, 2001) was an American professionalfootball player who was acornerback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOhio State Buckeyes and was selected in the first round of the1975 NFL draft with the 24th overall pick.
Born on February 28, 1953, inFitzgerald, Georgia,[1] Colzie was one of six children of Thelma andJim Colzie. His father was aNegro league baseballpitcher. After attendingCoral Gables Senior High School inCoral Gables, Florida, he played forOhio State University, where he recorded 15 interceptions and returned 60 punts for 855 yards and two touchdowns. At the time, his 15 interceptions ranked him fourth in school history, and his 855 punt return yards were a school record.
During his nine-season career, Colzie recorded a total of 25 interceptions, which he returned for 412 yards and a touchdown. He also recovered five fumbles, returning them for 42 yards and a touchdown. His best season was in 1981, recording six interceptions for 110 yards and a touchdown, along with one fumble recovery. Colzie also returned seven kickoffs for 130 yards in his career.
Colzie excelled as apunt returner on special teams. In his first NFL season, he recorded 655 punt return yards, the most ever by an NFL rookie. Overall, Colzie returned 170 punts for 1,759 yards during his career. One of his more notable performances was in the Raiders' 32–14 win over theMinnesota Vikings inSuper Bowl XI. Colzie recorded four punt returns for a Super Bowl record of 43 yards, including a 25-yard return that set up a Raiders touchdown, and a 12-yard return that set up a field goal. He played in the NFL for theOakland Raiders (1975–1978),Miami Dolphins (1979), andTampa Bay Buccaneers (1980–1983). He also played for theOrlando Renegades of theUnited States Football League (USFL) in 1985.
He was offered a role in the movie " Black Sunday " but turned it down, refusing to wear a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform for the role.
Colzie died on August 20, 2001, inMiami of a heart attack at the age of 48.