Joe Collier

NFL PlayerCoach


Color=#0f4589
fontcolor=#FFFFFF
DateofBirth=birth date and age|1932|06|07
Birthplace=Rock Island, Illinois
Position=Head Coach
College=
Awards=
Honors=
Records=
Record=13–16–1
years=1966–68
teams=Buffalo Bills
coach=yes
coachingyears=1966–68
coachingteams=Buffalo Bills
(head coach)

Joel D. Collier (born June 7, 1932) is a former American football coach. He was head coach of the American Football League's Buffalo Bills from 1966 through part of 1968, compiiling a 13–16–1 record.

Collier attended Northwestern University, where he played on the school's football team. In 1952, his junior season, he broke Big Ten Conference records by catching seven touchdown passes and accumulating 650 receiving yards.cite web|title=Joe Collier Profile|publisher=Northwestern University|url=http://nusports.cstv.com/genrel/collier_joe00.html|accessdate=2008-08-20] Following the 1953 college football season, Collier was selected by the New York Giants in the 22nd round of the 1954 NFL Draft. [cite web|title=1954 NFL Player Draft|publisher=Database Football|url=http://www.databasefootball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?lg=NFL&yr=1954|accessdate=2008-08-20] However, Collier decided not to play professional football, instead becoming an assistant coach at Western Illinois University after a three-year stint in the U.S. Army.

After spending two seasons as a coach with the expansion New England Patriots,cite web|title=Joel Collier|publisher=New England Patriots|url=http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=coachbio&bio=30932|accessdate=2008-08-20] Collier joined the Buffalo Bills as defensive coordinator and was promoted to head coach in 1966. The Bills' best season under Collier came that year, when they won the Eastern Division with a 9–4–1 record, eventually losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL Championship Game. [cite web|title=1966 Buffalo Bills|publisher=Pro Football Reference|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1966.htm|accessdate=2008-08-20] After coming within one game of an AFL championship, the team slumped to 4–10 in 1967. [cite web|title=1967 Buffalo Bills|publisher=Pro Football Reference|url=http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1967.htm|accessdate=2008-08-20] After a poor performance by the Bills in a 1968 pre-season game, Collier set up a scrimmage for his team. During the practice session, quarterback Jack Kemp broke his right leg, an injury that forced him to undergo season-ending surgery. [cite journal|last=Maule|first=Tex|authorlink=Tex Maule|coauthors=Shrake, Edwin|title=Eastern Division|journal=Sports Illustrated|date=1968-09-16|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1081580/4/index.htm|accessdate=2008-08-20] The Bills fired Collier after a 48–6 loss to the Oakland Raiders in the second week of the regular season; "Sports Illustrated" opined that "Collier's fate undoubtedly was decided..." by Kemp's injury. [cite journal|title=A Roundup Of The Sports Information Of The Week|journal=Sports Illustrated|date=1968-09-23|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1081612/2/index.htm|accessdate=2008-08-20]

Following his time as head coach of the Bills, Collier became a Denver Broncos coach in 1969 and spent 20 years with the team, who reached three Super Bowls with him as defensive coordinator. Collier was the architect of the Broncos' 3-4 defense in the late 1970s, a scheme that was known as the Orange Crush Defense.cite news|author=Associated Press|title=Broncos Dismiss Collier|publisher="The New York Times"|date=1988-12-19|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEED61331F93AA25751C1A96E948260|accessdate=2008-08-20] Broncos head coach Dan Reeves fired Collier after the 1988 NFL season. From 1991 to 1992, he was defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

Collier's son, Joel Collier, is the current secondary coach of the Patriots, after spending 11 years as an assistant for the Miami Dolphins.

References

External links

* [http://www.databasefootball.com/coaches/coachpage.htm?coachid=COLLIJOE01 Joe Collier NFL Coaching Record]
* [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/CollJo0.htm Joe Collier Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks]