Roy Williams Joins Wagoner Family To Prevent 'Horse Collar' Inju - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

SPORTS

Roy Williams Joins Wagoner Family To Prevent 'Horse Collar' Injuries

Posted: Updated:
Roy Williams holds a sample of the new XCollar--a new product to reduce injuries at all levels of football. Roy Williams holds a sample of the new XCollar--a new product to reduce injuries at all levels of football.
Dusty Swanson invented XCollar partly because of his love of football and partly for his science fair project. Dusty Swanson invented XCollar partly because of his love of football and partly for his science fair project.
The product screws to the back of a players shoulder pads and rips away when grabbed. The product screws to the back of a players shoulder pads and rips away when grabbed.
Roy Williams is doing something to help put an end to those vicious tackles he was once well-known for. Roy Williams is doing something to help put an end to those vicious tackles he was once well-known for.
WAGONER, Oklahoma -

In 2004, six NFL players, including stars Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb, were seriously injured in games because of "horse collar" tackles. Players broke bones, missed games and that cost their teams chances to win late in the season.

Former Sooner and Pro Bowl defensive back Roy Williams was responsible for many of those horse collar tackles, where a runner gets dragged down from behind by his shoulder pads.

Now, nearly a decade later, Williams is doing something to help put an end to those vicious tackles forever—and he's doing it in Wagoner, Oklahoma.

Last week, Williams met with Bulldogs sophomore lineman Dusty Swanson to shoot a commercial for the XCollar, a device designed to limit the injuries involved with horse collar tackles.

Swanson invented the XCollar after being injured by a horse collar tackle. He needed a science fair project as a freshman at Wagoner. He and his dad, Kevin, started brainstorming and came up with the idea for a break-away, Velcro collar that attaches to a player's shoulder pads.

Defenders who try to drag down a runner from behind by his shoulder pads will instead get a handful of the Velcro collar.  The collar tears away allowing the runner to continue up the field without being awkwardly twisted to the ground.

They called the project the XCollar.

The Swansons contacted Williams through Facebook and convinced him that this would be a great opportunity for him to help promote safety.

The horse collar penalty is linked to Williams' reputation because of the injuries he caused in the mid-2000s.

The chance to help the Swansons get the word out about a potential injury-saving invention caught Williams' attention.

For more information on the invention, visit thexcollar.com.

Live Radar

WARN Interactive

Featured on NewsOn6.com

  • TU Golden Hurricane

    Follow the TU Golden Hurricane! Get sports scores, news and highlights.

  • ORU Golden Eagles

    ORU Golden Eagles fans can find the latest news on the team, scores and video here!

  • OU Sooners

    Find the latest sports news, schedules and more for the OU Sooners now!

  • OSU Cowboys

    Get all your OSU Cowboys information from sports highlights to the latest news & videos.

  • OKC Thunder

    Thunder Up! Get the latest sports news, game highlights, videos and updates on the team.

Powered by WorldNow
News 9
7401 N. Kelley Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
OKLAHOMA CITY'S OWN TM
Oklahoma's Own News9.com is proud to provide Oklahomans with timely and relevant news and information, sharing the stories, pictures and loves of Oklahomans across our great state including Oklahoma City's Own.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013, WorldNow and KWTV. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.