Neal Colzie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornelius Connie Colzie (born in February 28, 1954 in Fitzgerald, Florida) is a former American Football player who played defensive back for the Oakland Raiders (1975-1978), Miami Dolphins (1979), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1980-1983). Before his NFL career, he played for Ohio State University, where he recorded 15 interceptions and returned 60 punts for 855 yards and 2 touchdowns. At the time, his 15 interceptions ranked him fourth in school history, and his 855 punt return yards were a school record.
A solid, dependable defensive back during his 9 season career, Colzie recorded a total of 25 interceptions, which he returned for 412 yards and a touchdown. He also recovered 5 fumbles, returning them for 42 yards and a touchdown. His best season was in 1981, recording 6 interceptions for 110 yards and a touchdown, along with 1 fumble recovery.
Colzie also excelled as a punt 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 the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Colzie recorded 4 punt returns for a Super Bowl record 43 yards, including a 25-yard return that set up a Raiders touchdown, and a 12-yard return that set up a field goal.
Colzie also returned 7 kickoffs for 130 yards in his career.
