Being a mentor at CHS can present many opportunities to share personal stories and even life lessons. For Mike Collins, the varsity head football coach, that was the opportunity to share his love of the sport with his players as well as his students. Throughout his 30 years of coaching and 20 years as a head coach at CHS, he has made an effort to show students how to be successful both on and off the field. The end of the football season has marked Collins’ final year of being the head coach, but he will still continue to teach physical education at CHS.

Football has been a part of Collins’ life ever since high school, where he fell in love with the sport and wanted to play at a competitive level. Although he continued to play football throughout college, he was not able to advance to higher leagues. Despite this, Collins believed that coaching was the next best thing because he could share his knowledge of the sport and connect with students who have the same passions as him.

“I wanted them [players and students] to learn that there is more to life than sports and winning and losing,” Collins said. “Football is a lot like a life journey, there are times when we are winning every game and not winning. It really represents a lot of how life is and it is how we handle situations.”

As the head coach at CHS for 20 years, Collins always remembered to teach his athletes important life lessons. He reminded his players of essential attributes that they needed to have, such as being self-disciplined, having good time management, and respect for others. Collins has a reputation for being compassionate towards his athletes and supporting them through tough situations. From the 30 years of coaching, he has learned to understand and help shape those he has taught, becoming an important role model.

“I guess it is his time to retire, but he has put up a lot of good years as head coach. I have learned a lot from him and Collins leaving is really bittersweet,” sophomore varsity football player Nic DeVore said.

Collins decided to retire from coaching because of his family. Having a wife and children, Collins wants to enjoy spending more time with them and coaching has taken a large amount of that time. Although he has retired from being on the field, he can still be seen on campus, interacting with the students and teaching physical education.

“I decided to stay because our program has established great character and integrity throughout these 30 years. I’ve learned that Claremont is an incredible place to be and it has been an honor to be here for the past years,” Collins said.

The average coaching job consists of 10 years and Collins has coached for 20 years at CHS which displays his loyalty and commitment to the pack. Collins is truly proud of his coaching staff and how they have been with him for the last 20 years. Their dedication means a lot and he hopes that the new staff will continue to lead the football team to victory. Collins’ football coaching career has ended, but he will now be sitting in the stands, supporting the Wolfpack.