[2][3][4] He graduated from Columbia University (where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity)[5] at a time when few major league players had attended college.

[6] At the time of his signing, Collins was still a student at Columbia, and he played some of his early minor league games under the last name of Sullivan so that he could protect his collegiate status.

He was also named the A's starting second baseman in 1909, a position he played for the rest of his career, after seeing time at second, third, shortstop, and the outfield the previous two seasons.

[14] He was part of the Athletics' "$100,000 infield" (and the highest-paid of the quartet) which propelled the team to four American League (AL) pennants and three World Series titles between 1910 and 1914.

In Chicago, Collins continued to post top-ten batting and stolen base numbers, and he helped the Sox capture pennants in 1917 and 1919.

Collins was not accused of being part of the conspiracy and was considered to have played honestly, his low .226 batting average notwithstanding.

He also holds major league records for career games (2,650), assists (7,630) and total chances (14,591) at second base, and ranks second in putouts (6,526).

After two seasons as a coach, Collins was hired as vice president and general manager of the Boston Red Sox.

He assumed management of a team that had bottomed out from a long decline dating from their sale of Babe Ruth; the 1932 Red Sox finished 43–111, the worst record in franchise history.

In 1933, under Collins’ leadership, the Red Sox became the first team to field a Mexican-born player in the major leagues, Mel Almada.

[20][21] Collins remained general manager through the 1947 season, retiring at age 60 after a period of declining health, thus ending 41 years in baseball.

[22] During his 15 years as general manager, Collins signed future Hall of Famers such as Joe Cronin, Ted Williams, and Bobby Doerr.

In May 2018, the Red Sox removed the plaque, reportedly due to the team not integrating Black players before the end of his tenure in 1947.

Under the win shares statistical rating system created by baseball historian and analyst Bill James, Collins was the greatest second baseman of all time.