Head Coach Jim Collins
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| Jim Collins |
Saginaw Valley State University football coach Jim Collins is entering his second season at the helm of the Cardinal program. In 2008, Collins led a young SVSU team to a 7-3 record in a tie for third place in the ultra-competitive GLIAC. He came to SVSU from Capital University (Ohio) where his teams compiled a record of 44-13 over his last five seasons and reached the NCAA Division III playoffs each of his last three seasons at Capital.
Collins, 42, spent 11 seasons at the helm of Capital University, turning around a football program that had not enjoyed a winning season since 1991 prior to a 7-3 finish by the Crusaders under Collins in 2001. He finished with an overall record of 66-51, setting school marks for victories in 2005 (10) and again in 2006 (11), and concluded the 2005-07 seasons ranked 5th, 3rd, and 15th nationally. His teams were eliminated from the playoffs by the eventual national champion each time.
Known for his innovative offensive mind, Collins has a tremendous reputation in the state of Ohio. He was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times (2001, 2003 and 2006). He also won awards as the American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2005, the Football Gazette North Region Coach of the Year in 2006, and the Lee Tressel Ohio College Coach of the Year in 2006.
At Capital and Saginaw Valley, Collins coached 14 All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans. His players also have fared well in the classroom, with more than 50 percent of them recording a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Collins has ties to the state of Michigan, having served as a graduate assistant at Central Michigan University from 1989 to 1990. In 1991, Collins took over as the offensive coordinator at Illinois Wesleyan University, where he helped lead the team to its first ever birth in the NCAA playoffs. From there, Collins took his first head coaching job at the University of Dubuque (Iowa), where he coached from 1994 to 1996 before taking over at Capital.
During his stops, Collins has shown a versatile offense. At Illinois Wesleyan, Collins directed the best rushing offense in school history in 1991, and then led the best passing offense in school history the following year. During his tenure at Capital, Collins' teams set more than 40 school records, including most points scored, passing yards, total yards and touchdowns during the 2006 season when the Crusaders went 11-2 and finished third nationally in the D3football.com final poll.
Collins also has gained respect off the field, having been a member of the American Football Coaches Association Coaches Council as well as serving as the North Region chair of the NCAA Division III National Football Committee.
