Boise State Football Mourns Ron Collins
6/19/2025 8:55:00 AM | Football, General
BOISE, Idaho – Boise State Athletics announced Ron Collins, a defensive senior analyst on the Boise State football coaching staff, passed away Tuesday morning. He was 61 years old.
A veteran defensive coach of 38 years, Collins spent eight total seasons on the Boise State coaching staff throughout his career. He rejoined the Broncos in 2022 as a defensive senior analyst, was elevated to an assistant coach when current head coach Spencer Danielson took over as the interim head coach to close out the 2023 season, and spent the last year-plus as a defensive senior analyst. He had been away from the team for most of the 2024 season battling his illness.
Collins was in his second stint on the Boise State coaching staff, with his first being under former head coach Dan Hawkins from 2001-05. The Broncos defense consistently ranked among the nation's leaders throughout his first tenure, including in 2004 when he was the defensive coordinator and Boise State was top-10 nationally in three categories – interceptions (second), turnovers gained (fifth) and rushing defense (10th). Collins, who began as the linebackers coach in 2001 before becoming the defensive coordinator in 2002, helped Boise State go 53-11 in the five years along with winning four straight WAC championships and finishing a season nationally ranked three times.
Collins left Boise State in 2006 to join Hawkins at Colorado, where he spent five seasons as the Buffaloes' defensive coordinator. From 2011 to 2021, Collins coached at Ohio and was the Bobcats' linebackers coach for seven seasons before being promoted to defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the final four campaigns.Â
After beginning his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Washington State in the spring of 1987, Collins served as a graduate assistant at Iowa State for the 1987 season. He earned his first full-time coaching job at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., in 1988 as the secondary coach. He was elevated to defensive coordinator in 1989, a position he held through the 2000 season. He was also the special teams co-coordinator in 1999 and 2000 and worked as the school's strength and conditioning coach for his entire 13-year stay.
With Collins at the helm of the defense, Washington University had one of the school's top football decades during the 1990s. In producing a 68-33 record from 1990-2000, Washington University shared three University Athletic Association (UAA) titles and won seven or more games on five occasions. In 1999, Collins coached the top ranked Division III defense in the country, as Washington allowed just 192 yards of total offense per game and a school record 49.8 rushing yards per game in making the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history.
Collins played collegiately for Washington State, finishing his career as a team captain in his senior year in 1987. The three-year starter at safety once had three interceptions in a game, against Stanford as a sophomore in 1984.
In addition to earning his bachelor's degree from Washington State in 1987, Collins received his master's from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1991.
A native of Wenatchee, Wash., Collins graduated from Cashmere High School, where he earned a total of 10 letters in football, wrestling and track.Â
He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and their two daughters, Taylor Rae and Alexandra.
--BroncoSports.com--
A veteran defensive coach of 38 years, Collins spent eight total seasons on the Boise State coaching staff throughout his career. He rejoined the Broncos in 2022 as a defensive senior analyst, was elevated to an assistant coach when current head coach Spencer Danielson took over as the interim head coach to close out the 2023 season, and spent the last year-plus as a defensive senior analyst. He had been away from the team for most of the 2024 season battling his illness.
Collins was in his second stint on the Boise State coaching staff, with his first being under former head coach Dan Hawkins from 2001-05. The Broncos defense consistently ranked among the nation's leaders throughout his first tenure, including in 2004 when he was the defensive coordinator and Boise State was top-10 nationally in three categories – interceptions (second), turnovers gained (fifth) and rushing defense (10th). Collins, who began as the linebackers coach in 2001 before becoming the defensive coordinator in 2002, helped Boise State go 53-11 in the five years along with winning four straight WAC championships and finishing a season nationally ranked three times.
Collins left Boise State in 2006 to join Hawkins at Colorado, where he spent five seasons as the Buffaloes' defensive coordinator. From 2011 to 2021, Collins coached at Ohio and was the Bobcats' linebackers coach for seven seasons before being promoted to defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the final four campaigns.Â
After beginning his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Washington State in the spring of 1987, Collins served as a graduate assistant at Iowa State for the 1987 season. He earned his first full-time coaching job at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., in 1988 as the secondary coach. He was elevated to defensive coordinator in 1989, a position he held through the 2000 season. He was also the special teams co-coordinator in 1999 and 2000 and worked as the school's strength and conditioning coach for his entire 13-year stay.
With Collins at the helm of the defense, Washington University had one of the school's top football decades during the 1990s. In producing a 68-33 record from 1990-2000, Washington University shared three University Athletic Association (UAA) titles and won seven or more games on five occasions. In 1999, Collins coached the top ranked Division III defense in the country, as Washington allowed just 192 yards of total offense per game and a school record 49.8 rushing yards per game in making the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history.
Collins played collegiately for Washington State, finishing his career as a team captain in his senior year in 1987. The three-year starter at safety once had three interceptions in a game, against Stanford as a sophomore in 1984.
In addition to earning his bachelor's degree from Washington State in 1987, Collins received his master's from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1991.
A native of Wenatchee, Wash., Collins graduated from Cashmere High School, where he earned a total of 10 letters in football, wrestling and track.Â
He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and their two daughters, Taylor Rae and Alexandra.
--BroncoSports.com--
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