Widener University Athletics

Widener’s football team is back on the map as one of the nation’s elite programs and one of the people who deserves a ton of that credit is third-year coach Isaac Collins, who has given the team a renewed sense of enthusiasm.

Collins fits the bill as someone who has experience on various levels from Division I-AA, Division III and the National Football League. It is that kind of expertise the University was looking for and one in which the team places its trust in as it looks for another Middle Atlantic Conference title.

It is a proud tradition which Collins is placed in charge. Widener has won a league-record 18 Middle Atlantic Conference titles, appeared in the NCAA Tournament 12 times and won two national championships.

That tradition took a huge step toward being restored in Collins’ first season, when the Pride closed with a 5-5 record and 4-3 in the MAC to end in a fourth-place tie. The season was punctuated with a 28-27 upset at No. 8 Delaware Valley as Widener scored 15 unanswered points in the final 7 1/2 minutes to regain the Keystone Cup.

The second year saw Widener go 9-2 for its best record in nine years and win an ECAC Bowl for the third time in school history. His resume also includes quarterback Chris Haupt named one of 10 finalists for the Gagliardi Award as the best football player in Division III and Widener leading the nation in points per contest.

Collins arrived after serving four years as defensive coordinator for The Citadel from 2006-09. He is no stranger to the region, serving as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Delaware in 2005 and at Lehigh from 2000-03. Collins also participated in the National Football League Minority Fellowship Program, completing coaching internships for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001 and the New York Giants in 1999.

As defensive coordinator at The Citadel, Collins’ schemed to face teams such as Clemson, Florida, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. This was in addition to the Bulldogs’ annual meeting against conference rival and Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse Appalachian State. Collins’ defense in 2007 led the Southern Conference in total defense. In his four years, he coached nine All-Southern Conference defenders.

Collins also was an assistant coach at Hobart from 1994-98, serving as defensive coordinator his final year. He also was an assistant at Columbia from 1998-2000, and the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Holy Cross in 2004.

Collins last May was inducted into the Geneva (NY) Sports Hall of Fame based on his standout high school career.

Collins earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1994 from the University of Rochester, where he was captain of the football team in 1993 and was named conference offensive player of the year in 1992. He and his wife, Ada, have four children Kayla, 12, Jaylen, 11, Alina, 3, and newborn Jacob.