Albright introduces Isaac Collins as new football coach
Albright College has hired former Bucknell defensive coordinator Isaac Collins as its football coach.
Collins has coached for 25 seasons, most recently at Bucknell, where he was defensive backs coach in 2019 and defensive coordinator in 2021, when the Bison went 1-10.
He replaces John Marzka, who left following a 2-8 season.
Before joining Bucknell, Collins was the head football coach of Middle Atlantic Conference rival Widener University, as well as Seton Hill University.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to raise my 9-year-old and 13-year-old on a small campus where they will get the chance to interact with some amazing students and student-athletes” Collins said Friday during a press conference.
“I have spent the past 27 years connecting and serving the communities that have surrounded the colleges I coached,” he said, “so I cannot wait to get our players involved with not only being active leaders and citizens on campus but sharing the gift of serving throughout the Reading community.”
From 2010-12 Collins led Widener to national prominence, posting a 25-8 record. Widener went 11-1 in 2012, captured a MAC title and reached the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. In 2011 Widener’s explosive offense averaged a nation’s best 47.1 points per game, as the team went 9-2 and won the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl victory.
He was named MAC Coach of the Year, D3Football.com’s East Region Coach of the Year and Maxwell Touchdown Club’s Tri State Coach of the Year. Widener rose to as high as No. 8 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 10 in the D3Football.com rankings.
“Isaac’s vast and successful experience as a coach at all levels, his impressive football acumen and well-rounded approach to coaching and teaching impressed everyone involved in the search,” said co-director of athletics Rick Ferry. “His ability to inspire and lead, with integrity, makes him the perfect person to take Albright football into the future.”
Collins’ hiring follows by about two weeks the hiring of Steve Azzanesi as head coach at Alvernia University.
Marzka had success initially at Albright, going 7-4 in his fist season and 11-2 in his third, when the Lions reached the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. They were 8-3 as recently as 2017 but have struggled since. They went 0-10 in 2018, 2-8 in 2019 and didn’t have a season in 2020.
Marzka left with an 87-56 record over 14 seasons and 15 years.
Collins earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1994 from the University of Rochester where he was a standout running back. A four-year letter winner and 1993 team captain, he rushed for at least 100 yards 14 times over the course of his career.
In 1992 he helped Rochester win a University Athletic Association championship; he was honored as the league’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
“Athletics are an important part of the Albright community and our history,” said Albright president Jacquelyn Fetrow. “More than a third of Albright students are student-athletes and roughly 125 of our student-athletes are football players. Our new football coach will have a significant impact on these student-athletes, on Albright athletics, and on our community of Lions.”