Q & A With Defensive Coordinator Mike Collins
7/23/2015 10:29:00 AM | Football
Bearkat defensive coordinator Mike Collins is featured in this week's installment of GoBearkats.com's series of interviews with the 2015 Sam Houston football staff.
Collins is beginning his third season as defensive coordinator for the Kats. During his first two years here 14 Sam Houston defensive players have earned All-Southland Conference honors while the Bearkats have rolled up a 20-10 record, earned FCS playoff berths and won a conference championship.
Prior to coming to Huntsville, Collins coached at McNeese, Northwestern State, Louisiana-Monroe, and LSU. His father, Pat Collins, coached Louisiana-Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana) to a national title. Mike was a four-year letterman at Northeast Louisiana as a center.
Question: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Collins: I'm just an ol' football coach - raised in a coaching family. I have literally been around football all my life. My father is a Louisiana Hall of Fame Coach.
When I am not working on football or watching both my sons coach baseball, I love to fish. By far, my favorite past time would be having my sons, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter over at the house to swim and barbeque. I have a wonderful wife (Terri Collins) of 33 years and two sons that are coaches (John Michael –St. Louis High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Matt – Stephen F Austin University).
Question: What levels of football have you coached?
Collins: I started as a student coach for my father at Northeast Louisiana University (now University of Louisiana, Monroe) and continued coaching there as a graduate assistant while working towards my Master's Degree.
The coaching staff at NLU acquired an opening, but instead of my father handing the position over to me, he in no uncertain terms told me that I needed to get a high school coaching job and experience the hard work of painting fields, washing uniforms along with a myriad of other responsibilities of a high school coach. This eventually molded me to understand and appreciate the roles of high school coaching and appreciate the hard work toward becoming a college coach.
So, I started my journey of coaching high school football for six years. I was very fortunate to work for a great high school head coach and ultimately we won a state championship. McNeese State offered me a position and in the next seven years we won 4 conference championships and lost a gut-wrenching National Championship game to Youngstown State by one point.
My journey soon circled back to my alma mater where I served as defensive coordinator for five years. An opportunity arrived to coach at LSU in 2003 and 2004 where we won the National Championship. Coach (Nick) Saban left for Miami and I moved on to Northwestern State for two years and ultimately decided to retire from the state of Louisiana to see what Texas had to offer.
Coming full circle, I started coaching in Texas at Kilgore High School with the man that gave me my first job in Louisiana, Mike Vallery. A year later, Matt Viator (head coach at McNeese) called and convinced me to return back to McNeese for five years. As luck would have it, Sam Houston State University called and presented an offer of defensive coordinator/assistant head coach for which I eagerly accepted.
Question: What attracted you to take the job at Sam Houston?
Collins: The overall athletic program was in a situation where they were finishing at the top of the conference. I felt like the guidance and direction of the department was headed where I wanted to be. After researching the school, the academic profile was amazing. So for me it was an easy decision to make.
Question: What is your philosophy on defense?
Collins: Defense needs to be built on a foundation. While studying and carrying out the details, technical aspects, and fundamentals of the defensive scheme, disciplined players will be able to play by instinct along with mental toughness.
Hard work is a habit and the price for success must be paid for in advance. Belief in one another is crucial and each players' actions can and will effect and reflect everyone on the team. There is no room for selfish players – this will essentially kill a team. Developing honesty and trust between coaches and players will bring unity to the team. A well-conditioned team is crucial to be able to compete for the full 60 minutes and have the stamina in the fourth to become victorious.
Giving each player an opportunity to contribute to the team leaves every player knowing he helped reach the goal while taking pride in being a Bearkat. Pride is developed by investing your time and effort into something you really believe in which is carried on and off the field. Establishing a “winning attitude” is crucial. We will all win and lose TOGETHER.
Question: What are your core beliefs?
Collins: God, family and football. Most people speak these three words as a cliché, but in fact these three words in this particular order are the reasons for my success in life. These three words form our core values and strengths. Without them, there would be no success.
Question: How is it working for KC Keeler?
Collins: It has worked out great for me. He retained me from the last staff, and took a chance on me which was greatly appreciated. He has a different style altogether from all the head coaches I have worked under. He is absolutely a great manager of people. Coach Keeler never gets too high or too low. He's very calm during the storm and smooth sailing when things are going well. He will make suggestions on defense, but the majority of the time he trusts us to make decisions and coach. He has done an outstanding job of meshing the team with his beliefs and selling his unique style to the staff, players, and the boosters as well. He has amazingly adapted to the Texas culture quite well. He is a real pleasure to work for.
Coach Collins and the Bearkat defense report for preseason camp on August 6 and begin the 2015 season Sept. 5 in Lubbock against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Season tickets for Sam Houston football games are available now online at www.gobearkats.com or at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
