Bryan Collins (July 30, 1964 – July 8, 2023) was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Long Island University (LIU) from 1998 to 2021, staying with the team through its merger from the Division II LIU Post Pioneers to the Division I LIU Sharks.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 30, 1964 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 58) Sayville, New York, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| c. 1985 | St. John's |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| c. 1990 | St. Francis Prep (NY) |
| 1991–1993 | C. W. Post (assistant) |
| 1994–1995 | Merchant Marine (DC/LB) |
| 1996–1997 | C. W. Post / LIU Post (DC/LB) |
| 1998–2018 | C. W. Post / LIU Post |
| 2019–2021 | LIU |
| 2021–2022 | Stony Brook (DL) |
| 2023 | Stony Brook (DC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 162–84 |
| Tournaments | 3–6 (NCAA D-II playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 8 NE-10 (2001–2002, 2004–2006, 2014, 2016, 2018) 2 EFC Atlantic Division (1999–2000) 1 PSAC Eastern Division (2011) | |
Collins served as the defensive line coach for the Stony Brook Seawolves for two seasons. He was promoted to defensive coordinator prior to the 2023 season, but died suddenly in July 2023 at the age of 58.[1][2]
Career edit
Assistant coaching edit
Collins graduated from St. John's University in Queens in 1987, where he played linebacker on the football team. He began his coaching career as an assistant football coach at St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows, Queens.[3]
He was an assistant coach at C.W. Post University from 1991 to 1993 before leaving for the United States Merchant Marine Academy to become their defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 1994 to 1995.
C.W. Post / LIU Post / LIU edit
In 1996, Collins returned to C.W. Post in the same role and he was elevated to head coach in 1998. C.W. Post rebranded to the LIU Post Pioneers in 2012. Collins won eight Northeast-10 Conference championships at C.W. Post/LIU Post. As the head coach for the Post program, Collins went 160–72.[4][5] From 2006 to 2016, Collins also served as the athletic director of the LIU Post program.[6]
After the 2018 season, the Division II LIU Post Pioneers program merged with the Division I LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds program to become the Division I LIU Sharks. While Collins' first Division I season ended with a 0–10 record, he went 2–2 the following year in the shortened COVID-19 makeup season in 2020–21 and was nominated as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the top coach in FCS football.[7] Collins suddenly stepped down from the program in June 2021. In two seasons, Collins went 2–12 as the head coach of the Sharks.[8]
Stony Brook edit
On August 17, 2021, Collins was named the defensive line coach for the Stony Brook Seawolves.[9]
After two seasons, Collins was promoted to defensive coordinator in January 2023.[10] Collins died on July 8, 2023 from a sudden cardiac event at age 58 before coaching a game as the Seawolves' defensive coordinator.[1]
Head coaching record edit
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. W. Post Pioneers (Eastern Football Conference) (1998–2000) | |||||||||
| 1998 | C. W. Post | 7–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd (Atlantic) | |||||
| 1999 | C. W. Post | 9–2 | 7–1 | 1st (Atlantic) | |||||
| 2000 | C. W. Post | 8–2 | 7–1 | 1st (Atlantic) | |||||
| C. W. Post Pioneers (Northeast-10 Conference) (2001–2007) | |||||||||
| 2001 | C. W. Post | 11–1 | 9–1 | 1st | |||||
| 2002 | C. W. Post | 11–1 | 10–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| 2003 | C. W. Post | 9–2 | 8–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 2004 | C. W. Post | 8–3 | 8–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| 2005 | C. W. Post | 10–3 | 8–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2006 | C. W. Post | 7–3 | 7–2 | T–1st | |||||
| 2007 | C. W. Post | 4–6 | 4–5 | T–6th | |||||
| C. W. Post / LIU Pioneers (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) (2008–2012) | |||||||||
| 2008 | C. W. Post | 3–8 | 2–5 | 6th (Eastern) | |||||
| 2009 | C. W. Post | 6–5 | 5–2 | T–2nd (Eastern) | |||||
| 2010 | C. W. Post | 7–4 | 5–2 | 3rd (Eastern) | |||||
| 2011 | C. W. Post | 7–4 | 6–1 | T–1st (Eastern) | |||||
| 2012 | LIU Post | 3–7 | 2–5 | 5th (Eastern) | |||||
| LIU Post Pioneers (Northeast-10 Conference) (2013–2018) | |||||||||
| 2013 | LIU Post | 5–6 | 3–6 | T–7th | |||||
| 2014 | LIU Post | 8–4 | 7–2 | 2nd | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| 2015 | LIU Post | 7–4 | 5–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 2016 | LIU Post | 12–1 | 9–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Second Round | ||||
| 2017 | LIU Post | 8–2 | 7–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 2018 | LIU Post | 10–1 | 9–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| C. W. Post: | 160–72 | 134–44 | |||||||
| LIU Sharks (Northeast Conference) (2019–2021) | |||||||||
| 2019 | LIU | 0–10 | 0–7 | 8th | |||||
| 2020–21 | LIU | 2–2 | 2–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| LIU: | 2–12 | 2–9 | |||||||
| Total: | 162–84 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
Personal life edit
Collins was married to his wife Patti and had two children.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b "Bryan Collins, Stony Brook defensive coordinator and former LIU Post coach, dies at 58". Newsday. Melville, New York. September 15, 1998. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Stony Brook Athletics Mourns the Loss of Bryan Collins". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Collins' Agenda: I-AA, Local Foes". Newsday. Melville, New York. September 15, 1998. p. A55. Retrieved July 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ a b "Great Lives: LI football community remembers legendary coach Bryan Collins". Greater Long Island. 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Sports, HERO (2019-07-06). "FCS 2019 PREVIEW: Long Island University Football Enters The D1 World". HERO Sports. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Tam, Ethan. "After 23 years at LIU, Bryan Collins hired as Stony Brook D-line coach". The Statesman. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ "Collins Named Finalist for Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award". Long Island University. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Brice, John (2021-06-27). "Veteran FCS coach steps down from program". Footballscoop. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Tam, Ethan. "After 23 years at LIU, Bryan Collins hired as Stony Brook D-line coach". The Statesman. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ "Stony Brook Football Announces Promotion of Bryan Collins to Defensive Coordinator". Stony Brook University Athletics. 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
