BATON ROUGE – Jim Collier, a longtime LSU assistant football coach on Charles McClendon’s staff, passed away recently at his home on Lake D'Arbonne in Farmerville, Louisiana.
Born on May 18, 1939, Collier joined McClendon’s staff in 1965 and served as LSU’s wide receivers coach for 15 years. During his 15 years with the Tigers, LSU appeared in 10 bowl games and claimed the 1970 SEC Championship with a 5-0 league mark.
LSU won at least eight games nine times with Collier on the staff, including four straight 9-win seasons from 1969-72.
Among the notable players coached by Collier include first-team All-SEC selections in Andy Hamilton and Gerald Keigley along with six players who went to be selected in the NFL Draft.
A first-team All-Southwest Conference wide receiver at Arkansas, Collier went on to play two years in the NFL with the New York Giants (1962) and Washington Redskins (1963). His best professional moment came in the 1962 NFL Championship Game when he recovered a Green Bay fumble in the endzone following a blocked punt. It was the only touchdown the Giants scored that day.