By Bailey Biddle
The success and constant motivation from people close to Austin Collier has helped him overcome his environment, trials and molded him into the person he is today.
Everyone has heard countless inspiring stories of athletes overcoming adversity in their personal lives and beating the odds. Growing up in a tough environment can negatively impact a child and their future. According to a study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the quality of the neighborhood in which a child grows up has a significant impact on the behaviors displayed during childhood.
The story of UTC football player Austin Collier reflects the trials of prevailing from a rough environment. Collier grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and was primarily raised by his mother, Shea Duke. Football was consistently a crucial part of Collier’s life, even if he distanced himself from the game.
Collier distanced himself from football due to his ambition to pursue selfish desires that did not benefit him positively. “Even when I didn’t play football, I hated my environment so much I didn’t want to play. I continually preached to myself I could, no matter what,” said Collier. He stayed away from the game a long time until he decided to attend Mount Juliet Christian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I did not start loving the game until high school, and it kept me away from anger and going down the wrong path,” said Collier. Collier’s decision to play at MJCA changed his life forever. Through this new-found opportunity, Collier realized how fortunate he was. A tragic event happened that ended his beloved friend, Kenneth Jones’ life, while Collier was attending MJCA.
This left him devastated and heartbroken. “It was a reminder and I want to live what he would have done, and he was the best out of all of us. An environment change can save your life,” said Collier. Collier used this as an inspiration to perform to the best of his abilities in high school and it landed him multiple Division One offers as a running back.
The plan for his college career did not pan out exactly as he wanted. Multiple offers were dropped due to Collier refusing to play defense. Collier decided it was in his best interest to take his talents to the University of Bethel to play football.
“When I got there, it felt like it was a bad choice and wasn’t pushed as hard as I should be,” said Collier. He went through some dark times at Bethel and lost his love for the game, and that carried over to his performance on the football field. As circumstances kept piling up, Collier became very sick which resulted in his eventual departure from Bethel.
He still desired to play football and chose to go to a school that he loved without even stepping foot on campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Collier joined the football team as a preferred walk-on and had to sit out a year for eligibility reasons. “It was hard not being able to play and doing great on scout team. As a transfer you are held to a higher standard GPA wise, but weren’t brought in as recruits, so it is easier to let you go if you are not performing up to potential,” said Collier.
This upcoming football season, Collier has a chance to play and start-until adversity struck again. At the end of March, Collier suffered a major setback when he dislocated and tore ligaments in his toe. This will force him to be sidelined for about five months.
Collier has been through many adversities and still does not allow them to take away his confidence, but instead motivates him to work harder. A former teammate at MJCA, Alex Pitman, said, “He was talented enough to take days off, but his drive and work ethic wouldn’t allow him to do that. He would work just as hard as the next guy.” This statement wraps up Collier’s character as a whole: no matter what the situation may be, he invests one-hundred percent into everything he does.
Collier reminds himself continuously what he has overcome every day and puts forth a great deal of effort to keep that mindset. Growing up in a bad environment is not an ideal situation for anyone, but the choice to turnaround can be life altering. The road may be difficult, but if you surround yourself with a great atmosphere of friends and have a positive mindset, anything is achievable.
Austin Collier is a strong example of overcoming difficult situations and has established himself as a hope to others in similar circumstances.