Travis
Shelton
By Steve Gorten
FORT LAUDERDALE – When Arkansas standout Alex Collins
was chosen in the fifth round of this year’s NFL Draft late last
month, one of three running backs scooped up by Seattle to
replace retired Pro Bowler Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks fans
salivated at the comparisons of Collins to “Beast Mode.”
“I feel like a beast comes out of me,” Collins told the local media
of his will near the goal line, adding, “I definitely think I resemble
him a little bit – at least I try. ...They’re depending on me, and I
feel like I have all the energy and power in the world. Especially
at the goal line, I’m running through you.”
No one is more acutely aware of the 5-foot-10, 217-pounder’s
physical transformation from high school phenom to All-SEC
powerhouse than Travis Shelton.
Collins, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is one of the highest-
profile athletes personally trained by Shelton, whose “Fit
Factory” in nearby Fort Lauderdale is among several training
centers in the area started by former professional athletes. Hall
of Fame receiver Cris Carter’s FAST Program in Boca Raton is the
most renowned, though Shelton’s facility has gained attention
because of his training of four-time NFL Pro Bowl receiver/return
specialist Devin Hester and retired NFL linebacker Andra Davis,
both coincidentally also his first cousins.
Shelton went on to become a freshman All-American at Temple
University in 2004. In 2006, the receiver/kick returner led the
NCAA with 196.7 all-purpose yards per game, nearly 10 more
than Adrian Peterson, though Shelton didn’t officially top the
list because he didn’t play enough games that season. He signed
with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2009,
though his NFL stint lasted just a few months. He went on to play
in the Arena Football League, as well as the Canadian Football
League and United Football League.
Travis Shelton (left) training Jamar Newsome .
photograph by Justin Price
Shelton, who says he has had a passion for fitness since he was
8 years old, later became CEO of Fit Factory, located in Florida,
and shifted his focus to preparing professional, collegiate and
high school athletes as a “sports guru” and trainer specializing in
“sport-specific speed, agility and strength training.” Collins, who
followed in Shelton’s footsteps by starring at South Plantation
High School, is his most prolific client these days, along with
Hester. Shelton’s biggest advocate, though, may be Collins’
high school teammate, John Franklin III, a former Florida State
quarterback who transferred to Auburn in January after a season
at East Mississippi Community College.