[4] Collins was a 12th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the June, 1969 Major League Baseball draft as a first baseman and outfielder.
After two seasons with six clubs in the Cardinal organization,[5] Collins returned to SIUE, becoming an assistant coach for Roy Lee.
In 1979, Collins returned to SIUE, replacing the retiring Roy Lee as the Cougars head coach.
Having seen the team through its transition to Division I, in July 2012, Collins stepped down as the Cougar's head coach, assuming new duties as SIUE's first Director of Development for Intercollegiate Athletics.
[3] Collins is one of seven individuals who will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame in January 2019.