#13 - Coach Mike Collins - Bloomsburg University Baseball

Mike Collins is the head baseball coach at Bloomsburg University. Coach Collins is the all time winningest coach in program history. He is a 3x winner of the PSAC Coach of the Year and in the Spring of 2021 lead the Huskies to their first ever back to back PSAC Championships when they knocked off #6 in the nation Seton Hill on their home turf. Mike, a native of Scranton, PA, graduated from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of Arts in politics. At Saint Joe’s, Mike played Division I baseball where he was a two-time team captain and four-year letter winner.After suffering a season ending knee injury during his senior year, Mike spent a lot of time during his rehab just sitting in the dugout and observing and learning the game from a different perspective. He then got the idea that he wanted to become a baseball coach after his playing career was over. After graduating college, Mike Collins had to put in long hours and even longer cross-country drives to make his dream of being a head coach a reality.Mike’s first coaching job was at Keystone junior college, where he not only had to build a program, but had to work blue collar jobs when not on the field to help pay the bills.  Then Mike moved on to Binghamton University where he served as assistant coach and head of recruiting. His recruiting duties at Binghamton found him living out of his car and driving across the country scouting prospects from PA to California. It was not unusual for Mike to leave the field after a game, jump into his car and drive across country to go recruit. In 2005, Mike Collins was offered the head coaching job at Bloomsburg University, a program that at the time was in need of a rebuild.  Mike and I discuss what he looks for in the student athletes and how his program at Bloomsburg has evolved into a Division 2 powerhouse in the highly competitive PSAC.Coach Collins also tells us why he believes a successful college program is not defined by wins and losses only. We discuss his “40-year Plan” that focuses on helping his players develop into future leaders that will play a positive role in the local communities and helps them succeed in life long after their playing days are over. Coach Collins also discusses why it's so important his players play a positive role in their local community and how the program engages their alumni to help work with their current players as they get ready to enter the work force. We also get into why positivity plays such an important role in his leadership style, what book has influenced him and the intangibles that make a great collegiate baseball playerThank you for listening.If you like what you hear, please HIT the SUBSCRIBE BUTTON. We have a bunch of cool interviews, like this one, to come.Enjoy my conversation with Mike Collins - 3x PSAC Coach of the Year and all-time winningest coach in program history. And remember… “Life is built, not born…”Mentioned In this Episode:Website: Bloomsburg University HuskiesTwitter: Coach Mike CollinsIG: Coach Mike CollinsAuthor: Jon Gordon Book: The Power of Positive Leadership