Stony Brook football defensive coordinator Bryan Collins passed away at age 58, the University announced on Saturday afternoon.
“Our Stony Brook Athletics family is devastated by the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague Bryan Collins,” the University said in a statement.
Collins joined the Stony Brook staff in 2021 and spent each of the last two seasons coaching the defensive line before being promoted to defensive coordinator this past January.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve alongside Bryan over the past couple of years,” Chuck Priore, Stony Brook’s head coach since 2006, said. “As an opposing coach, he served as a mentor, and I have learned a great deal from working with him during our time together at Stony Brook.”
Upon his hiring, Collins had been coming off a lengthy stint as the head coach at LIU Post, which he held from 1998 until he stepped down in 2021.
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Collins became LIU Post’s winningest coach, recording 162 victories while leading the program to six NCAA Tournament appearances and eight Northeast 10 Conference championships, which spanned from 2001 through 2018.
“He was an elite human being on every level who was truly passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people,” Stony Brook athletic director Shawn Heilbron said.
Collins was also named a seven-time Northeast 10 Coach of the Year between 1999 and 2018.
Collins graduated from St. John’s University in 1987, where he played linebacker for the now-defunct football program.
