Former Southwest football player and assistant coach Cliff Collins is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Bears.
The Gloster, MS, native previously spent four seasons as defensive coordinator at East Mississippi Community College (he spent 2008-16 as the defensive backs coach at EMCC). He helped guide the team to five national titles and numerous state titles.
Collins was an All-State quarterback as a senior at Amite County High School. As a member of the school’s track team, he helped the 1999 4x200 relay team to a state-record 1:26.52 (which still stands).
At Southwest, Collins spent his freshman year as a quarterback and wide receiver. He switched to the defensive side of the ball as a sophomore and helped the Bears to a 9-3 record and an appearance in the MACJC championship game.
Collins then spent two seasons at Ole Miss as a safety and linebacker. He was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology.
Collins began his coaching career as a student assistant for the Rebels’ 2002 team that, under head coach David Cutcliffe, defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Independence Bowl.
The 2004-05 seasons saw Collins at Hinds Community College where he served as the linebackers coach. He helped guide the 2004 team to a 9-2 record, a ranking of 9th in the final NJCAA poll and a spot in the MACJC title game.
In the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Collins was back at Southwest as defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator.
Collins next moved on to his first stop at East Mississippi. In his two stints there, in addition to the numerous national and conference titles, he helped direct the team into the top five in several statistical categories. He had almost 30 players to advance to play in the NFL.
In 2016, Collins moved to Jackson State University as defensive backs coach. The Tigers topped the Southwestern Athletic Conference in pass defense, ranked 2nd in total defense and 3rd in opponents’ 3rd down conversions.
Collins received a Master’s degree in Adult Continuing Education from the University of West Alabama in 2020.
He and his wife, the former Gernika Henry of Ridgeland, are the parents of a son, Parys, and a daughter, Caiya.
