INDIANAPOLIS - Bill Collins of Houston, TX, on Friday was named 2006 Masters Athlete of the Year by USA Track & Field. Collins will receive his award December 2 at the 2006 Jesse Owens Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held in conjunction with the USATF Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.

Collins was named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week on March 21, 2006 after sweeping the M55 60m, 200m, and 400m at the 2006 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Linz, Austria.

A 2003 USA Track & Field Masters Hall of Fame inductee, Collins, 56, posted a world record time of 23.36 seconds in the 200m before claiming another world record in the 60m with a time of 7.34 seconds. He finished up his competition with a win in the 400m, clocking in at 54.22.

In August, Collins won the 100, 200 and 400 meters for the fourth consecutive year at the USA Masters Championships in Charlotte, N.C. He won national championships in the men's 55-59 division by running 11.26w seconds in the 100 meters, 23.44 seconds (meet record) at 200 meters and 53.05 seconds (meet record) in the 400 meters. Collins owns more than 80 masters national titles, 17 world masters crowns and has set nearly 20 world records during his remarkable Masters career, and in November he was recognized as the IAAF Male Masters Athlete of the Year at the annual IAAF Gala in Monaco.

"This is a tremendous honor and I'm grateful to everyone who made this possible," said Collins of his USATF award. "I enjoy the sport so much along with my fellow competitors and the officials, and everyone involved with putting the meets on. I still get the same kick getting into the blocks that I did when I was younger, and I'll definitely continue competing until I'm 60 for sure and then we'll see what I want to do at that time."

"Bill has proved through the years that he is one of the greatest masters track and field athletes of all time," said USATF CEO Craig Masback. "With every age group he advances to, Collins becomes the standard that all others are measured by. His level of consistency is astounding, and we all look forward to seeing him add to his legacy in the coming years."

"Bill Collins is one of our most outstanding athletes and is a great asset to Masters Track & Field," said Suzy Hess interim USATF Masters Committee Chair and editor of National Masters News. "He is a true gentleman and such an incredible athlete."