HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
WILL COLLINS,
BELLEFONTAINE
2002 RECIPIENT
Coach Collins began his illustrious coaching career while a student at the
University at Toledo. He was hired as a JV coach at Troy-Luckey (now Eastwood)
under the legendary coach Doyce "Frenchy" Foliere. Will’s JV record was 25-5. In
1959 he was hired as head basketball and JV coach at Lykens High School (now
Wynford). His team’s varsity record was 23-2. Following that season he took the
JV coaching position at Toledo Rogers where they complied a 24-3 record for 2
years. In 1962 he became the head coach at Rogers where they won 109 games. He
was named head coach at the Bellefontaine in 1971 and remained there for 28
years where they won 416 games. While at Lykens and Rogers he was also head
baseball coach with winning records.
Will’s overall varsity record was 548-263 which included 12
league Championships (Crawford County League-1, Great Lakes League-3, Central
Buckeye Conference-8), 18 sectional Championships, 7 District Championships plus
runner-up 6 times, 1 Regional Champion (Bellefontaine) and State Final Four
(Bellefontaine) in 1973. Three of his teams were undefeated during the regular
season, Lykens, 1959-60, Bellefontaine, 1975-76 and 1991-92. The 1975-76 team
was ranked 4th in the AAA Division of the state. In 1991-92 they were
ranked 1st in Division II.
In 1975-76 he was Coach of the Year, Class AAA. Will was the OHSBCA Coach of the Year in Division II in 1991-92. He was honored twice, 1973
and 1989, as coach of the South in the Ohio North-South All-Star Game.
Coach Collins was known for his enthusiastic and professional
approach to his career in coaching and working with players. He believes a
successful coach must control: organization, planning, preparation, focus, and
necessary adjustments in addition to a basic philosophy of ridged expectations,
but flexible as to a style of play.
Will graduated from Webster High School (Wood County) and the
University of Toledo. He has been married to his wife, Karen, for 39 years. They
have 3 sons, Rod( computer specialist), Jeff (Division Director of the D.E.C.A.
Organization) and Jamey (Teacher and Head Basketball Coach at Ridgedale High
School, Marion County. He also has a grandson, Justin, son of Jeff.
Coach Collins is a long time member of the OHSBCA. Even in
retirement, Will has continued his love for the game by being a voluntary
Assistant Varsity Coach to his son, Jamey at Ridgedale.
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