Earnest Collins named to KU football staff

By J-W Staff Reports     Feb 10, 2003

Earnest Collins, who spent the past three seasons as secondary and special teams coach at Northern Colorado, has been named cornerbacks coach at KU.

“Earnest is an enthusiastic teacher of fundamentals,” KU football coach Mark Mangino said. “He will develop our cornerback position, which is crucial to our scheme.”

Collins has national championship experience as a coach, spending three years on the staff of Northwest Missouri State University, which won back-to-back Division II titles in 1998 and 1999. He also earned a master’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University.

A 1996 graduate of Northern Colorado, Collins returned to his alma mater in December 1999. He coached Hassan Rashad, who was named to the All-North Central Conference first team, and Reed Doughty and Nick Sims, who both were named to the conference’s second-team defensive backfield.

As a player, Collins was a four-year starter at UNC. He was a second-team all-North Central Conference selection as a senior and then spent a year as a student assistant on the Northern Colorado staff. He holds the UNC records for punt return yards in a career (967) and in a season (497). He also ranks fifth on the single-game punt return yard list with 114 yards against North Dakota State in 1994.

With Collins coaching cornerbacks, Clint Bowen will coach the safeties. Bowen, who played safety at KU in 1990 and from 1992-93, served as running backs coach last season. Pat Henderson will move from coaching the secondary to running backs.

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