Bobby Collins
Head Coach
Eastern Kentucky University ('91)
6th Season (65-90 At WSSU)
10th Season (130-147 Overall)

Personal: The 2011-12 season marks Winston-Salem State University head men’s basketball coach Bobby Collins’ sixth year on the bench as the leader of the Rams basketball program, a team with an historic past and an even brighter future under the guidance of a man with seven seasons of head coaching experience.

As Collins heads into his sixth season, he will be looking to finish what was started in 2010-11. His Rams a year ago fi nished 19-8, and took the CIAA Southern Division crown. But a first round CIAA tournament loss, and quick exit from the NCAA Regionals left a bad taste in the mouth of the Rams head man.

In 2011-12, Collins looks to lead the Rams to the top of the CIAA. He is poised to make history, as he has assembled one of the finest teams in the history of the Winston-Salem State University men’s basketball program, an athletic team that boasts a resume full of accomplishments which include 10 conference titles and the 1967 NCAA men’s basketball championship and showcases a program that has seen 11 former players continue their careers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Collins has assembled a talented roster that will continue to bring success to a program that is synonymous with achievement. A relentless recruiter, Collins and his new and experienced coaching staff, continue to bring talent to the campus of Winston-Salem State University and will welcome the addition of nine newcomers in 2011-12 as he prepares to help the Rams add a new chapter to the storied tradition of basketball at WSSU.

A true leader and teacher, Collins has overseen the Rams’ transition from a Division II power into a talented and well-coached competitor at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Collins, who was named Winston-Salem State University’s sixth head men’s basketball coach on Sept. 5, 2006, helped the Rams make history in his fi rst season on the bench as WSSU participated in their fi rst year of Division I play.

Under the leadership of Collins the Rams faced one of the most diffi cult schedules in the country as WSSU played only six home games and recorded 23 road games against 14 different NCAA conferences en route to logging over 25,000 miles of travel in 2006-07.

Quality coaching and perseverance made history in 2006-07 as the Rams earned their fi rst Division I win over a Division I program on Jan. 18, 2006 when WSSU handed MEAC member Norfolk State University an 81-71 defeat in their own building in Norfolk, Virginia.

WSSU continued to write history as they faced 25 teams for the fi rst time in program history as the Rams took to the court versus storied programs at Georgetown, Kansas, Notre Dame, Auburn, Wake Forest, and UAB. Collins led the Rams against four ranked opponents, three NCAA tournament participants (including Elite Eight honoree Kansas and Final Four participant Georgetown), as well as three NIT participants.

Year two on the bench for Collins saw a marked improvement for the Rams as WSSU posted 12 wins including seven victories over Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponents.

Among the seven conference victories included a sweep of Howard, a victory over MEAC-leading Norfolk State and a victory over arch-rival North Carolina A&T in front of a sold-out crowd of over 6,000 fans at the LJVM Coliseum Annex.

Despite playing a full MEAC schedule, the Rams were once again road warriors as WSSU traveled to Ames, Iowa to participate in the Iowa State Cyclone Classic in a tournament that saw WSSU earn a victory over Atlantic Sun Conference runner-up Lipscomb as well as completing trips to Pittsburgh, Pa. to face national power Duquesne University; Manhattan, Ks. to face AP Player of the Year and second overall NBA Draft choice Michael Beasley and nationally-ranked Kansas State University; Tampa, Fla. to face Big East Conference member USF; as well as a late season trip to both Daytona Beach, Fla. (Bethune-Cookman) and Tallahassee, Fla. (Florida A&M).

Despite the difficult non-conference road schedule, the Rams were able to more than double their win total in 2007-08 as WSSU earned 12 total wins and dropped seven more contests by a combined 34 points.

In 2007-08 he led the Rams to a 12-18 record against many of the nation's best basketball programs as WSSU continued their transition to the highest level of intercollegiate competition and Division I classification.

The third year on the bench saw Collins and his staff lead the Rams to an overall mark of 8-22 as the relative youth of the Rams was evident during the course of a long and grueling MEAC basketball schedule. Despite posting single-digit wins, Collins and his staff made significant strides in both the classroom and the community as he, his staff and his student-athletes continued to embody the motto of Winston-Salem State University "Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve" as three players earned degrees and his student-athletes gave back more than 100 hours of service to their community.

This season, under the tutelage and leadership of Collins, the Rams continue to make strides not only in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but on a national level as the young Rams will not only complete a full MEAC schedule in 2009-10 but will start the season in the Pacific Northwest as they open play at the 2009-10 Basketball Travelers Invitational versus Oregon, Colorado State and UC Davis.

A valued member of the Winston-Salem State University family, Collins came to WSSU by way of Hampton University where he served as head men's basketball coach for four seasons and was part of the Pirate's basketball program for 11 years.

In 2005-06 Collins led the Pirates to a 16-16 overall record and a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship, as well as earning HU a berth in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. During that championship run Collins was honored as the Most Outstanding Coach of the MEAC Tournament.

Collins' third year (2004-05) at the helm of the Pirate's men's basketball program saw Hampton make their second trip in three years to the MEAC Tournament championship game earning Collins MEAC Coach of the Year honors.

His sophomore season with the Pirates, he led the Pirates to a 13-17 record and an 11-7 mark in the highly-competitive MEAC. Under the tutelage of Collins, Hampton saw two players earn All-Conference honors.

During his first season leading the Hampton University men's basketball program Collins guided the Pirates to within six points of their third consecutive MEAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. With a mark of 19-11 in his inaugural season, Collins became the winningest first-year head coach in the history of Hampton University basketball, surpassing Hall-of-Famer John McLendon's mark of 17 victories that came during the 1952-53 campaign.

Since making the move to Division I in 1995, the same year in which Collins became a part of the program, the Hampton University basketball program became the standard by which excellence is measured in the MEAC. The Pirates have won three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships and made three trips to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

During the 2001 NCAA Tournament Hampton made history by becoming just the fourth 15th seed to defeat a No. 2 seed, overthrowing the Cyclones of Iowa State University 58-57. And although a host of individuals have played a significant part in the uprising of Hampton basketball, Bobby Collins is as responsible as anyone. Consequently, Collins was named the 14th head coach of the Pirates on April 26, 2002.

Collins, who joined the Pirate family 13 years ago, has previously served as the Assistant Head Coach for the Pirates' men's basketball team. Prior to his promotion to head coach, he was responsible for recruiting, handling admission and financial matters, preseason conditioning, academics and community relations.

Collins earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and management in 1991 from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), where he finished as a four-year letterman on the Colonels basketball team. While wearing the Colonel uniform, Collins was a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) All-Freshmen Team and Honorable Mention All-OVC as a senior. Following his collegiate career, Collins played in the Helsinki, Finland Classic earning MVP honors.

Collins' coaching career began as a restricted earnings coach with the Old Dominion Monarchs (1994-95). Under the leadership of former Monarch Head Coach, Jeff Capel, Collins aided the Monarchs to a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship and a first round victory over Villanova University in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Prior to his stint at ODU, Collins served as an admissions counselor at Eastern Kentucky University from 1992-94

The son of two non-denominational ministers, Collins is the youngest of 10 siblings. He is a native of Southern Pines, North Carolina, where he graduated from Pinecrest High School and helped his squad to an 18-5 and 20-4 overall record during his junior and senior seasons. In 1984, he earned All-State honors and was conference Player of the Year.

Year-by-Year Record:
2002-03:  19-11
2003-04:  13-17
2004-05:  17-13
2005-06:  16-16
2006-07:   5-24
2007-08: 12-18
2008-09:   8-22
2009-10: 12-17
2010-11: 19-6

• 2011-12: #25 Ranking by NABC (December 20, 2011)

• 2010-11: NCAA Regional Participant

• 2010-11: CIAA Southern Division Champs

• 2005-06: MEAC Champions (Hampton); MEAC Most Oustanding Coach of MEAC Tournament