Beloved Coach Won With Execution and Wit

Collins's motivational words and tactics added to his legend. One year when Carroll was playing Eastern for the city title, a Carroll priest who had heard about the inspirational quality of Collins's halftime talks, entered the locker room to record the coach in action. But on this occasion, the language was a bit too colorful to record for posterity.

"Maus started talking, and he was upset, and he got about four or five words out of his mouth," said Mike Nolan, a former assistant to Collins. "Then you heard the loudest click of a tape recorder going off and the priest just turned around and left the room."

Once, after two grueling and unsatisfactory practices, Collins ordered his players to go inside and shower and come out for a third practice. When they reappeared, there was no workout. There was a cookout.

"He knew how tired they were," said former Carroll assistant Bob Silk, who along with Nolan had known Collins since their days as students at St. Gabriel parochial school in Washington. "That's the kind of coach he was. He could do things the right way and that got respect from the kids."

After Collins's successful run at Carroll -- his teams won league titles in eight of his last 12 seasons there, including his final one -- he spent two years as a vice president at the school. Still yearning to coach, he moved three miles south to take over a Gonzaga program that had gone 0-18 against DeMatha, McNamara and Carroll the previous six seasons.

Collins wondered to Nolan if he could reach players from wealthier backgrounds in the same way he had connected with Carroll students.

"How in the hell am I going to tell a kid who drives a Mercedes to school every morning to stick his head in there and tackle some kid?" Nolan recalled Collins saying. "He doesn't need this."

Collins guided Gonzaga to five WCAC title games and won two championships. In 1996, two years removed from quintuple bypass surgery, one of many medical procedures later in his life, Collins led Gonzaga to its first league title in 37 years. The Purple Eagles defeated McNamara, 34-25, at Byrd Stadium, and Collins was named All-Met Coach of the Year for the fourth time.

Collins earned his 300th career victory in 1998 with a 49-6 win over Cardozo. He resigned in 2000 after a 4-5-1 season.

His sharp sense of humor remained intact. About a year ago, when it appeared Collins might not live much longer, Nolan called him to check up -- as he did often. "Oh, I'm hanging in there," Collins told him. "In fact, yesterday and today were two of my better days. I think I'm getting a little bit better."

"That a boy," Nolan said. "Keep digging."

"Well, if I don't keep digging," Collins said, "they're going to be digging for me."

Collins is survived by his wife of 47 years, Agnes, 71; sons William, 45; Kevin, 40; and Christopher, 36; and daughters Catherine, 42, and Anne Marie, 32; and 16 grandchildren. A third daughter, Jeanne Marie, died in 1985.

A wake is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday at St. Aloysius Church in Washington. The funeral is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday, also at St. Aloysius.