St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Athletics Mourns the Loss of Former Football Player Bryan Collins
7/10/2023 4:44:00 PM | General
Collins, who was a four-year linebacker and longtime coach, passed away at 58
QUEENS, N.Y.– The St. John's Athletic Department mourns the loss of former football player and longtime coach Bryan Collins, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 58.
Collins played linebacker for the Redmen during the 1980's under former Head Coach Bob Ricci. In his final two seasons with St. John's, the Jackson Heights, N.Y., product tallied 78 tackles with four sacks. He graduated from St. John's with his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1987. As a student-athlete at St. John's, he won the Peter Vitulli Award presented to an individual who demonstrates courage, perseverance, dedication and self-sacrifice to attain the highest ideals of sportsmanship.
Following his playing days in Queens, Collins became one of the most decorated football coaches in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area. He served as an assistant at LIU Post and Merchant Marine Academy. In 1998, he was named Head Coach of LIU Post, a position he held for 23 years.
While at the helm of the Pioneers, Collins made six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and won eight Northeast 10 Conference titles. He accumulated 162 wins and racked up seven conference coach of the year awards.
In addition to coaching on the gridiron, Collins served as the school's athletic director from 2006-2017, where he helped mold the Long Island school's athletic department into one of the strongest Division II programs.
In recent years, he joined the Stony Brook coaching staff in the summer of 2021, where he spent two years as a defensive line coach before being promoted to be the Seawolves' defensive coordinator.
He is survived by his wife Patti and children, Tyler and Megan. Visitation will be held on July 13 from 7-9:30 p.m. at Raynor & D'Andrea Funeral Homes in Sayville, N.Y.