New Widener football coach Collins has vision for program

On Feb. 1, Widener University hired the 22nd football coach in school history. Isaac Collins also became the first African-American head coach at the university.

Collins, 38, came to Widener from The Citadel, where he was defensive coordinator. He became the sixth active African-American head coach in Division III.

Collins' dedication to the program and his players already has begun.

"The biggest thing I have been sharing with our current players is that it is going to be about putting the past in the past and focusing on what we can control," Collins said. "I told them wins will come, it is going to start with being detail-oriented. What we can control is coming out every day and trusting that our coaching staff will put them in the right place, trusting our philosophies and our values, and being a part of the community. No one is going to be bigger than the program, and no one will be bigger than the institution."

Collins' hiring is notable. As of 2009, only 7.5 percent of college head football coaches were minorities.

In 2008, the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida gave college sports a grade of C-plus for diversity hiring. The grade is based on the population of the country and the percentage of minorities within the population; that percentage is then compared to the percentage of minority coaches in college sports.

Dr. Richard Lapchick, who is the program's founder and director, believes a change needs to happen.

Lapchick said he has been advocating for something like the Rooney rule, which requires that NFL teams must interview a minority candidate as part of the hiring process. The rule went into effect in 2003.

"I think it would be a huge benefit," Lapchick said. "For most people, it's not a matter of making a decision, it's a matter of looking at who you know. If there was a rule [colleges] had to follow, then the percentage of minority coaches would change. We are not advocating that you simply hire a [minority], but you look at a pool of candidates that represents the best people for the job."

Even though Collins believes this would be a good rule, he doesn't want a rule in place just because the NFL has established one. It should be an institution's mission to police the rule itself instead of a formal rule, according to Collins.

"I think that is a great policy that the NFL has. It would be great, but sometimes our game mimics the NFL," Collins said. "It seems like we adopt a lot of things from that level. If we can go more toward the institutions saying to themselves and policing it themselves the opportunities will come. To put a ruling in kind of makes it tough because [colleges] may interview someone but are not looking to hire them and may not even pick the best candidate to interview."

Collins does not believe his being African-American had a bearing on his hiring - it was his qualifications and vision for the program. However, he has pride in his accomplishment.

"After seeing President Obama take over the White House, I don't think there are many things that are going to be off the charts," Collins said. "I think it was more my qualifications and my vision of the way I wanted to run this program. I am certainly proud that I can do what Tony Dungy has done for opening doors."

Collins' football career goes way back.

"Football was in the blood, but it wasn't in my cards when I was younger," Collins said. "I had a couple of uncles and a cousin that played [in the NFL]. Football was part of my family growing up. For me, I wasn't into it until my brother dragged me down to the Pop Warner league and made me do it. It has been a part of my life [ever since]."

As a running back for the University of Rochester, Collins was a four-year letterman and team captain in 1993, and thought law school was in his future. However, his plans changed and his football-coaching career began.

During Collins' final year at Rochester, Bill Maxwell took charge of Hobart College's football program, where Collins had worked summer camps.

"I never thought of coaching as a career," Collins said. "At first, when [Maxwell] approached me about coaching running backs, I told him coaches don't make money. Being a great recruiter, he was able to convince me to put law school on hold."

He served as secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at Delaware in 2005 and at Lehigh from 2000-03. He participated in the NFL's Minority Fellowship Program, completing coaching internships for the Eagles in 2001 and the Giants in 1999. Collins also coached at Columbia and Holy Cross, where he served as associated head coach defensive coordinator and secondary coach.

"We were looking for a head coach whose values align with Widener's mission and who has the ability to lead our team to success on and off the field. We found both of those qualities in Isaac Collins," said Widener University president James T. Harris III, a member of the NCAA Executive Committee and chair of the NCAA Division III. *