Saginaw Valley State University football coach Jim Collins just finished his second season at the helm of the Cardinal program. In the 2009 season, Collins led SVSU to a 9-3 overall record, including an 8-2 mark in the GLIAC. The Cardinals made the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since the 2005 season, eventually falling the the University of Nebraska-Kearney in the first round.
In 2008, Collins led a young SVSU team to a 7-3 record in a tie
for third place in the ultra-competitive GLIAC. He came to SVSU
from Capital University (Ohio), where his teams compiled a record
of 44-13 over his last five seasons and reached the NCAA Division
III playoffs each of his last three seasons at Capital.
Collins, 42, spent 11 seasons at the helm of Capital University,
turning around a football program that had not enjoyed a winning
season since 1991 prior to a 7-3 finish by the Crusaders under
Collins in 2001. He finished with an overall record of 66-51,
setting school marks for victories in 2005 (10) and again in 2006
(11), and concluded the 2005-07 seasons ranked 5th, 3rd, and 15th
nationally. His teams were eliminated from the playoffs by the
eventual national champion each year.
Known for his innovative offensive mind, Collins has a tremendous
reputation in the state of Ohio. He was named the Ohio Athletic
Conference "Coach of the Year" three times (2001, 2003 and 2006).
He also won awards as the American Football Coaches Association
"Coach of the Year" in 2005, the Football Gazette North Region
"Coach of the Year" in 2006, and the Lee Tressel Ohio College
"Coach of the Year" in 2006.
At Capital and Saginaw Valley, Collins coached 14 All-Americans
and two Academic All-Americans. His players also have fared well in
the classroom, with more than 50 percent of them recording a GPA of
3.0 or higher.
Collins has ties to the state of Michigan, having served as a
graduate assistant at Central Michigan University from 1989 to
1990. In 1991, Collins took over as the offensive coordinator at
Illinois Wesleyan University, where he helped lead the team to its
first ever berth in the NCAA playoffs. From there, Collins took his
first head coaching job at the University of Dubuque (Iowa), where
he coached from 1994 to 1996 before taking over at Capital.
During his stops, Collins has shown a versatile offense. At
Illinois Wesleyan, Collins directed the best rushing offense in
school history in 1991, and then led the best passing offense in
school history the following year. During his tenure at Capital,
Collins' teams set more than 40 school records, including most
points scored, passing yards, total yards and touchdowns during the
2006 season, when the Crusaders went 11-2 and finished third
nationally in the D3football.com final poll.
Collins also has gained respect off the field, having been a
member of the American Football Coaches Association Coaches Council
as well as serving as the North Region chair of the NCAA Division
III National Football Committee.
Mike Ancona enters his second season as the offensive line coach
for the Saginaw Valley State University Cardinals. The 2008 season
was a very successful season for Ancona’s offensive line. The
depth and experience of the offensive line was seen when the line
blocked their way to the Cardinals fi rst 1,000 yard rushing season
since 2005. They also recorded a GLIAC low of 10 allowed sacks on
the season.
Ancona most recently was an offensive line coach for Head Coach
Jim Collins and the Capital University Crusaders from 2000-2007.
During those years in Columbus, the Crusader offensive line
anchored an offense that broke over 40 school records. Prior to his
days at Capital, Ancona spent five seasons as an assistant
offensive line coach at John Carroll University in Cleveland. In
his 13 seasons as a collegiate offensive line coach, Ancona has
helped shape one Rimington Award winner, eight All-Americans, and
18 All-Conference selections.
Ancona played for four seasons on the John Carroll University
offensive line before coming over to the sidelines as a graduate
assistant for the Blue Streaks in 1995. He earned a
bachelor’s degree in History in 1994.
Ancona is a native of Alliance, Ohio.
Neil Baumgartner returns for his third season on the SVSU
coaching staff, his second as the defensive line coach after
coaching the outside linebackers during his first season with the
Cardinals. Baumgartner had a very successful playing career at SVSU
from 2000-04 and he served as team captain during his senior
year.
Baumgartner was named First-Team Academic All-American twice,
becoming the first Cardinal to achieve such an honor. He also
received the Jack H. McAvoy Award from the GLIAC, which is awarded
annually to one senior who best exemplifies the combination of
athletic and academic achievement with leadership, strong character
and a commitment to community service.
Baumgartner currently ranks third all-time at SVSU with 21 career
sacks and ranks 15th all-time with 258 tackles. He won the
team’s Most Inspirational Player Award as a senior and also
won the Mo Clevering Golden Helmet Award for the top grade point
average on the football team four times. Baumgartner graduated with
a 4.0 GPA from Saginaw Valley State with a bachelor’s degree
in History in 2005.
Baumgartner continued his academic path at Portland State
University, having received the restigious NCAA Postgraduate
Scholarship. After a semester at Portland State, he transferred
back to SVSU to continue his graduate studies. He obtained a Master
of Administrative Science degree from SVSU in December 2007.
Baumgartner is a native of Iron River, Mich., and currently
resides in Midland with his wife, Mindy.
Andre Griffin enters his second season as running backs coach
for Saginaw Valley State University. In the 2008 season
Griffin’s crew of running backs rumbled their way to a 1,379
yard rushing season, including the first individual 1,000 yard
rushing season since 2005.
Griffin spent the previous three seasons on SVSU Coach Jim
Collins’ staff at Capital University,
where he also served as running backs coach. During his three
seasons at Capital, the Crusaders
finished in the top five twice and went to the Division III
quarterfi nals twice.
Griffin, an Ohio State alum, played running back for the
Buckeyes from 1998-2001. The son of two-time Heisman Trophy winner
Archie Griffin, Andre will not need to go far if he needs any
advice to teach his running backs any tricks.
Griffin has one son, Diante (4), with his wife Deanna.
Herb Haygood returns to Saginaw Valley State University for his third season as the wide receiver coach. Haygood most recently was a wide receiver and special teams coach at Olivet College in 2006. The Comets posted a 6-4 record and tied for second place in the MIAA with a 5-2 record. Haygood guided eight players who were named to the All-MIAA teams.
Haygood has an extensive background playing professionally in
various levels of football. He has been with three different NFL
clubs, including the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and the
Kansas City Chiefs. Haygood also played one season with the
Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe in 2004 and spent four months as a
member of the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League.
Haygood was a standout at at Michigan State University, earning
four letters from 1997-01. He was a fifth-round draft pick of the
Denver Broncos in 2002 and was an All-American kick returner as
selected by ESPN and the Walter Camp Foundation.
Haygood has also reached out into the community with various projects. He is a part of Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Michigan since 2005. In addition, he volunteered with the Salvation Army during Thanksgiving while a member of the Colts. He also took part in the Denver Broncos Kids Reading Program and coached kids with special needs while at MSU.
Haygood is a native of Sarasota, Florida.
Adam Hicks enters his second season as tight ends coach at
Saginaw Valley State University. In the 2008 season Hicks was
responsible for a group that caught 49 passes and eight touchdowns
for the Cardinals. The 2008 tight ends were also responsible for
helping block for Saginaw Valley’s first 1,000 yard rushing
season since the 2005 season.
Hicks was a four year letter winner at Capital University where he
also received All-American honors as well as All-Ohio Athletic
Conference honors. After graduating from Capital University he
became the assistant coach for his alma mater for three seasons
(2003, 2005, 2007). Hicks has also been an assistant coach at
Westerville (OH) North High School (2006).
Hicks is currently persusing his a master of administrative
science at SVSU, with an expected graduation date of May 2010 and
married the former Jami Bleakmore of Westerville, Ohio.
Tesfa Smith started his second stint with the Cardinal football coaching staff in 2007, where he was responsible for the running backs, a position he held from 2002-04. For the 2008 season coach Smith moved back to coaching the linebacker position, which he last coached in 2001 for the Cardinals. There, he was responsible for one of the best linebacking cores in the nation.
Smith recently was the defensive coordinator at MacMurray
College in Jacksonville, Illinois.He also was responsible for film
breakdown and compiling data for defensive scouting reports and
served as the academic advisor for the football team.
Smith was at SVSU from 1999-04, coaching linebackers, running
backs and tight ends. Smith played his college ball at Lakeland
College and was a four-year starter at linebacker. He was a
two-time all-conference performer and was named conference
defensive player of the year as a junior and senior.
Smith received his Bachelor’s Degree from Lakeland College
in Marketing and International Business with a minor in Spanish. He
has also completed his Master’s Degree at Saginaw Valley
State in May 2001 with an emphasis in Business Administration.
Todd Stepsis enters his second season as defensive coordinator
and defensive backs coach at Saginaw Valley State University.
Stepsis had a very impressive 2008 season as the Cardinals
defensive coordinator. The Cardinal defense was ranked third in
total defense in the GLIAC and produced three All-GLIAC defensive
team members (two first team and one second team).
In the previous seven seasons, Stepsis coached the defensive
secondary under current Cardinal Head Coach Jim Collins at Capital
University. During that time, the aggressive Crusader defense
produced a national player of the year, numerous All-Americans, and
national rankings in several statistical categories. Since
2001, there have been 21 all-conference and three All-American
defensive backs. Along with his coaching duties, Stepsis was also
an assistant athletic director and adjunct faculty for the health
and sports sciences department.
Prior to arriving at Capital University, Stepsis served a two-year
stint as the defensive backs coach at Otterbein college and played
four seasons of football at Ashland University, a bachelor’s
degree in education and later a master’s degree in education.
