Bryan Collins
Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator

Phone: 2847
Email: bryan.collins@liu.edu

Bryan Collins has been the Pioneers’ head football coach since 1998 and enters his 19th season as the school’s all-time winningest coach with an overall 130-68 record. In 2011, he was inducted by an alumni committee into the LIU Post Football Hall of Fame.

In 2015, Collins led the Pioneers to their third-consecutive winning season, after posting an overall record of 7-4 and a Northeast-10 Conference mark of 5-4. He coached seven All-NE-10 selections, including five first-teamers, and guided a defensive unit to the third-most sacks and defensive touchdowns in the conference. His players also did not shy away from excellence in the classroom, as 30 of his student-athletes were named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Collins brought the Pioneers back to glory in 2014, capturing their first Northeast-10 Conference Championship since 2006 with a 58-25 road win over American International College. He also brought the green and gold back to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in nearly a decade. Additionally, Collins mentored the NE-10 Most Valuable Player (Steven Laurino) and the NE-10 Defensive Lineman of the Year (David Sumter), while receiving Co-Coach of the Year accolades from the league. In all, Collins had 10 of his student-athletes garner All-NE-10 distinction, two earn Daktronics All-Super Region honors and one (Laurino) selected as a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award, which is presented annually to the top collegiate football player in Division II.

The 2013 season marked the Pioneers' return to the Northeast-10 Conference for the first time since 2007. Collins' squad showed improvement from the 2012 season, finishing with a 5-6 overall record and a 3-6 posting in NE-10 play.  Like the year before, the green and gold won their first two games of the season, including their NE-10 return against Southern Connecticut State University by a score of 24-12. The Pioneers also defeated Pace University twice and Saint Anselm College by a total combined count of 161-68. Senior defensive back Tommy Williams was enshrined into the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, continuing the tradition of student-athletes doing well in the classroom under Collins' tenure. Additionally, five Pioneers were tabbed as All-NE-10 selections, including senior linebacker and first-team selection Rob Bright.

In 2012, the Pioneers’ final season in the PSAC, Collins’ green and gold squad compiled a 3-7 record, alongside a 2-5 league ledger. LIU Post won its first two games that year, outscoring Clarion and Cheyney by a combined score of 91-36. It also had four of its players chosen to the All-PSAC East roster. Senior defensive back Antonio Powell-Fields earned first-team honors, while junior linebacker Rob Bright was a second-team pick. Senior wide receiver Grayson Laurino, who was named a NFF Scholar-Athlete semifinalist for his efforts in the classroom, and senior offensive lineman Chris Williams garnered second-team distinction as well.

Picked to finish third in the 2011 PSAC East preseason poll, Collins and the Pioneers exceeded that prediction with a 6-1 conference record to claim a share of the title with Kutztown. The Pioneers claimed one of their biggest wins in program history when they defeated previously unbeaten Bloomsburg, 24-21, on the road and in a snowstorm. Twelve players were named all-conference, including redshirt freshman Steven Laurino, who was also voted the PSAC East Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, seniors Billy O’Connor, John Siopa, Lou Scala and Kevin Martin were recognized as D2PRODAY.com All-Americans.

The 2010 Pioneers recorded a 7-4 overall record and posted a 5-2 mark in the east that included a triple overtime win over West Chester - the first win against the Golden Rams since 2005. Under his guidance, the Pioneers were ranked second in the conference in total offense, averaging 428.7 yards a game and fourth in scoring offense with 33.5 points a game. On the defensive side, junior inside linebacker Billy O’Connor led the entire PSAC with 125 tackles, averaging 11.4 a game.

In just the second year competing in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Collins guided the team to a 6-5 overall record and 5-2 mark in division play in 2009, turning the team around from a 3-8 record a year earlier. In addition, junior quarterback Erik Anderwkavich was the ECAC Player of the Year and freshman Thomas Beverly was both ECAC and PSAC East Rookie of the Year. Junior defensive lineman Xavier Brown was also named an AFCA All-American.

Under his leadership, the Pioneers have become a perennial nationally-ranked squad that has won three undisputed Northeast-10 Conference championships and a share of another NE-10 title, as well as three times earning a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. The 2005 season was the most successful in the school record books, as the Pioneers won the first two NCAA Division II Championship tournament games in the program’s history in advancing to the national quarterfinals. LIU Post hosted its first NCAA game since 1976, and won a 24-20 decision over visiting West Chester (Pa.) on a game-ending, 96-yard drive. One week later, the Pioneers traveled to top-seeded Shepherd (W. Va.) and beat the sixth-ranked Rams to advance to the quarterfinals. LIU Post was ranked 22nd nationally at the end of the year by the AFCA, and four players garnered All-America accolades from numerous publications. The Pioneers were named the Division II Team of the Year by the ECAC and CollegeSportsReport.com.

Throughout his coaching career, the backbone of Collins’ game plan has been a strong defense, a philosophy that has resulted in LIU Post defenders leading all Division II teams in fewest rushing yards four times, the most recent coming during the 2004 campaign. Collins-led defenses have also topped the Division II list for defensive pass efficiency in 2003, as well as earning the top spot in total defense twice.

The continued success enjoyed by Collins was noted in the November 2003 issue of American Football Monthly, which noted the 47-year-old mentor’s ability to develop a program in a two-page feature article. The publication’s Video Series program also acknowledged his talent on the defensive side by featuring him in a trio of instructional videos on the 4-4 defense.

Collins led his 2004 Pioneer squad to its second NCAA berth in three years, becoming the first LIU Post head football coach to make a return trip to the NCAA postseason. At the conclusion of the season, eight Pioneer players were awarded All-Conference recognition, including six selections to the First Team unit.

In addition to those awards, the team’s defense was recognized for the fifth year in a row with the second straight selection of linebacker Joe Gangemi as NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Peter Lazare also picked up his second consecutive Defensive Lineman of the Year award from the conference, while tackle Taibika Hickson was tabbed as the NE-10’s Offensive Lineman of the Year.

One year earlier, the team finished 9-2, winning their final eight games. Combining a balanced offense with a typically stingy defense, the Pioneers bridged the gap to achieve success in a year that many thought would be dedicated to rebuilding after sustaining major losses from graduation on both sides of the line.

In 2002, the Pioneers reached the Division II NCAA playoffs, competing as the only non-scholarship squad among the 16 competing teams and ending the year with their second straight 11-1 record. His efforts in 2002 resulted in his being named Regional Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and Coach of the Year by the Northeast-10 Conference.

In addition, the team’s rushing defense was ranked as the top unit in Division II for the third consecutive season, while total defense and scoring defense also were statistically established as the best in Division II. The total defense accolade was the second time LIU Post has won the honor over the past three years.

One indication of the team’s defensive prowess in 2002 was the seven games in which Pioneer opponents scored less than 10 points, including four shutouts. Another was the fact that after the first seven games of the campaign, the defense had scored more points than it had allowed.

In 2001, Collins’ squad established a new school high in scoring with 488 points, combining a powerful running game and effective passing attack with a relentless defense that collected an amazing 66 sacks on the year.

That potent 2001 offense had both a quarterback (Frank Ingoglia) and running back (Ian Smart) who collected more than 2,000 yards of total offense. In addition, the Pioneer special teams unit returned two kickoffs and three punts for scores, while also blocking a punt that was converted for six points.

For those efforts, Collins was named 2001 Division II Mid-Major Coach of the Year by Football Gazette magazine, having previously been named twice as Eastern Football Conference Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000. The latter two awards were in recognition of the team’s consecutive Atlantic Division championships.

Following the 2000 campaign in which the Pioneers won their second-consecutive Eastern Football Conference title, all four LIU Post starting defensive linemen were recognized with postseason hardware, a nod to their standout performances. That accomplishment was acknowledged by American Football Monthly magazine, which tabbed Collins as its Division II Defensive Coordinator of the Year in its September 2001 issue.

The aforementioned running game has been the hallmark of Collins’ offense since his arrival. Following a 7-3 mark in his first year, Collins made the team’s offensive backfield a top priority. The result was a 1,000-yard rusher (Rick Haering) in 1999, the school’s first pair of 1,000-yard rushers in 2000 (Haering and Smart) and the leading rusher in all of college football (Smart) for 2001.

Smart ended his collegiate career as the all-time leader in touchdowns (95) and scoring (570 points) and yards per carry (7.58). He also finished as the #4 rusher in college football history with 6,647 yards, despite being removed from countless games due to lopsided scores in favor of LIU Post.

Collins has been a part of the Pioneer program for nearly a decade. He spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Pioneers, including 1996-97 as the team’s defensive coordinator under former LIU Post tutor Tom Marshall.

A 1987 graduate of St. John’s University, Collins played linebacker for four seasons. Following graduation, he served for three seasons as an assistant coach at St. Francis Prep, during which time the Little Terriers captured three Catholic League championships.

Collins served as an assistant defensive coach with LIU Post from 1991-93, helping the Pioneers to the 1993 ECAC IFC Division II Championship, the first postseason win in the history of the program. He then accepted the defensive coordinator position at Kings Point, where he led the Mariners to their first ever NCAA Division III Tournament berth in 1994.

Returning to LIU Post prior to the 1996 season, Collins spearheaded the Pioneer defense to the ECAC/IFC Division II Championship with a 29-0 win over Bentley. That season, seven of LIU Post’s defensive starters were named to either the ECAC IFC All-Star Team or the Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-Star Team.

The following year, Collins’ defensive skills were again on display as opponents managed only 49 points over the final seven games of the 1997 season (7.0 points per game) while the Pioneer defense did not allow a touchdown in three of its last four contests.

Collins currently serves as a member of three committees for the American Football Coaches Association: the Rules Committee, the weekly coaches’ polls and All-America selections. In addition, he had an article published in the organization’s 2001 journal titled “When It Counts - Goal Line Defense: We’re All There.”

In May 2002, Collins authored another article for the publication entitled, “Roll Call at the Ball,” imparting his knowledge of defensive tactics.

He has also met with and assisted the National Football League in the New York area with its High School Player Development program, which seeks to foster increased interest in the sport along with supplementing the football budgets of schools. He has also worked with the National Football Foundation (New York City chapter) in enhancing its Play It Smart campaign.

Prior to being appointed Director of Athletics, Collins served during the 2005-06 academic year as an Assistant Director of Athletics at LIU Post. He was instrumental in helping the Brookville, N.Y. school to acquire FieldTurf for the newly-renovated Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium, which gives all Pioneers athletics programs the opportunity to practice and play on an all-weather surface virtually year-round. In the coming year, the Pioneers plan to install a state-of-the-art press box to accompany the bleachers and seatback chairs at the stadium.

Collins and his wife, Patti, reside in Sayville, N.Y. with their son, Tyler, and daughter, Megan.



 

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