1. Colin Zachary Allred was born on April 15,1983 and is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, and former professional football player who served as the US representative for from 2019 to 2025.
34 Facts About Colin Allred
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Colin Allred was released after 4 years and no other team signed him so he left football to pursue a degree in law, receiving his JD from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by positions in the Obama administration, first at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and later at the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
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Colin Allred challenged Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in the 2024 United States Senate election in Texas.
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Colin Allred was defeated by Cruz in the general election.
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Colin Allred was raised by a single mother who was a public school teacher.
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Colin Allred earned a scholarship to play college football at Baylor University.
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In 2001, Colin Allred began to play for the Baylor Bears as a linebacker under head coach Guy Morriss.
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In December 2005, Colin Allred graduated from Baylor with a Bachelor of Arts in history.
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Colin Allred was selected as a first-team Academic All-Big 12 in 2004 and 2005.
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Colin Allred was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent following the 2006 NFL draft on May 4,2006.
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Colin Allred was waived on August 29 but re-signed on January 26,2007.
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Colin Allred was promoted to the active roster as linebacker on December 15 and made his NFL regular season debut on December 16,2007.
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In four seasons for the Titans between 2007 and 2010, Colin Allred appeared in 32 games and recorded 46 tackles.
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Colin Allred subsequently decided to retire from football and go to law school, and he became a free agent before the 2011 season without signing with another team.
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In 2011, Colin Allred enrolled at the UC Berkeley School of Law.
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Colin Allred worked as a research assistant for professor and author Ian Haney Lopez and graduated in 2014 with a Juris Doctor degree.
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Colin Allred's responsibilities included overseeing the voter registration efforts of volunteers and managing a poll watcher program.
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Subsequently, Colin Allred worked as a civil rights attorney at the law firm Perkins Coie, where he was a voting rights litigator and counsel to clients including national and state political candidates and advocacy organizations.
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On November 6,2018, Colin Allred was elected to the House of Representatives for the 32nd district of Texas.
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Colin Allred's victory was considered an upset because Sessions had been in Congress since 1997 and represented the 32nd district since its creation in 2003.
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Colin Allred became the second person to represent this district and the first Democrat.
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Colin Allred was one of two former NFL players to win a seat in Congress that year, along with Anthony Gonzalez.
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Colin Allred was elected co-president of the Democratic freshmen of the 116th Congress, alongside fellow Obama administration alumna Haley Stevens.
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Colin Allred endorsed his former boss and fellow Texan, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
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Colin Allred voted to impeach him during his second impeachment in 2021 following the January 6 Capitol attack.
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Colin Allred initiated efforts to establish the Garland VA Medical Center, and supported passage of legislation for new veterans' facilities, including a VA clinic in El Paso and a spinal cord injury center in Dallas in 2022.
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Colin Allred sought $241 million in earmarks for his district, for projects largely at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in 2021.
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On May 3,2023, Colin Allred announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in 2024, challenging Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.
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On November 5,2024, Colin Allred lost the general election to incumbent Ted Cruz by 8.6 points.
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Colin Allred emphasized the importance of vaccination against COVID-19, and criticized others for spreading misinformation about the vaccine.
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Colin Allred voted in December 2023 to provide Israel with support following the Hamas attack on Israel.
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Colin Allred voted two months later in favor of House Resolution 894 condemning anti-Zionism as antisemitism.
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In January 2024, Colin Allred was one of 14 Democrats who voted for a resolution to "denounce the Biden administration's open-borders policies".
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Colin Allred led a group of House Democrats in 2021 in sending a letter to their Senate colleagues urging them to pass the "Freedom to Vote Act".