When people talk about the great athletes to come out of Penn Hills, Ed Collington Jr. is part of the conversation. He still holds the single season rushing record for the Indians.

A powerful running back with the ability to change games, a man amongst boys, Collington helped establish himself as one of the top rushers in Western Pennsylvania before earning an opportunity to play at West Virginia University.

Like many athletes, however, his journey wasn’t defined only by touchdowns and victories. It was also shaped by adversity, difficult circumstances, and challenges that altered the path many believed he was destined to follow.

For this week’s WVU Brotherhood series, we catch up with former Mountaineer and Penn Hills standout Ed Collington Jr.

 

Q: What do you remember most about growing up in Penn Hills?

A: I didn’t grow up in Penn Hills. I grew up in Braddock and moved to Homestead while I was still young. I got to Penn Hills my 10th-grade year, and I’ll never forget how geeked up I was. Being that I went to the Penn Hills Kennywood picnic prior to that, I knew it would be a good time.

 

Q: How did Penn Hills football help prepare you for the next level?

A: Penn Hills football prepared me for the next level in so many ways. From workouts and conditioning to being a leader and a good teammate. But most of all, it taught me mental toughness and how to fight through the hard times, because hard times don’t last.

 

Q: What did it mean to receive a scholarship opportunity from WVU?

A: Receiving a scholarship from WVU meant the world to me. At the time, I had other offers, but they went the extra mile helping me with the SATs, getting me tutoring, and things like that. It also meant I was going to school for free, lol. That’s all that mattered to my raise.

 

Q: Why did you choose West Virginia over other schools?

A: I chose WVU because it was away from home, but not too far. The program was up-and-coming at the time, and I wanted to make an impact wherever I went. And Pitt didn’t offer me a scholarship—story for another day—so I wanted payback, lol.

 

Q: What was it like sharing a locker room with players like Steve Slaton, Pat White, Owen Schmitt, and that era of WVU football?

A: Sharing the locker room with guys like Pat White, Steve Slaton, and Owen Schmitt was always motivating. It just made you want to work harder because those guys came to work day in and day out. They set a standard, and if you couldn’t meet that standard, you didn’t belong. S/O Mike Barwis. He trained us like Marines—iykyk. We had a lot of fun as well. A lot of laughs, sometimes cries, but we were brothers, and nothing can come between that.

 

Q: Looking back, how talented do you think that WVU team was?

A: By far the most talented team in WVU history. Yes, I’m biased, lol. But who was better? Four straight bowl games, two BCS appearances, No. 2 in the nation, and two Heisman candidates in the same year. That shit speaks for itself.

 

Q: Do you ever think about what your football career could have become if circumstances had been different?

A: I’d be lying if I said no!! I think about that shit a lot, still to this day, because my career was cut short. Not because I got hurt. Not because of my grades. Not because I wasn’t good enough. But because of a few bad decisions that cost me everything I had at the time.

 

Q: There were events that changed the direction of your football journey. How did you handle that personally at the time?

A: At the time, while I was going through that, the hardest part was being away from my loved ones and the one thing I loved the most at the time: football. I was very sad, depressed, and lost. But I just knew not to give up and not to let that situation dictate the person I was and the person I was becoming. God definitely had His hands on me.

 

Q: What was the biggest lesson you learned from that experience?

A: The biggest lesson I learned was to always stay true to yourself and the person you know you are inside. Choose your friends wisely. The people you surround yourself with will either be a part of your downfall or your success. Trust your gut. It will never lie to you.

 

Q: Looking back now, what do you wish people understood about your story that they may not know?

A: Coach Rich Rod named me and Steve Slaton the starters after the first week of camp. I got hurt a day later with a high ankle sprain. That’s how Big O—Owen Schmitt—came about.

 

Q: What has life taught you since football ended?

A: It taught me a lot about myself because, at the time, I didn’t know who I was outside of football. That’s all I knew up until that point. I had to rediscover myself.

 

Q: What advice would you give young athletes who are facing adversity or difficult decisions today?

A: Just don’t ever quit. When times get hard, go HARDER!! Keep God first, keep a positive mind and spirit, and just don’t ever quit.

 

Q: What does the WVU Brotherhood mean to you today?

A: The WVU Brotherhood means a lot to me. These are guys I put in work with—blood, sweat, and tears—to accomplish goals and things that nobody but us believed we could accomplish. Those types of bonds last forever.

 

Q: What are you most proud of when you look back at your journey?

A: That I never gave up, and what I went through didn’t break me—it made me!!