There’s a man missing from the sports landscape who affected small-college sports in this state as much as anyone in the past quarter-century.
The North Coast Athletic Conference announced this week that Dennis Collins, who had been the conference’s commissioner for all of its 25 years of existence, died during the weekend due to a heart attack. The NCAC includes schools from several Midwestern states, including Wittenberg University in Springfield.
I dealt with Collins many times in the past few years, and he showed a great passion for the NCAA Division III sports he administered. I have a similar interest in small-college sports, both for the rivalries that exist and the idea that the athletes are playing exciting games without athletic scholarships.
Not only was Collins focused on the sports here locally, but he aided the national landscape as well. He served as president of the NCAA Division III Commissioners Association, which he even helped to organize in 1989.
Perhaps more than anything, Collins helped the Midwest continue its reputation as a known power location in the NCAA’s largest division. Teams from the middle of the country regularly compete for and win national championships, and NCAC members are often in that mix.
Collins was a great leader for his conference, which will now have to replace a commissioner for the first time.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.
