JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Andrew Jackson alum and great James Collins stepped down as the Tigers head coach Tuesday.
Collins told First Coast News in an exclusive interview that he had been thinking about stepping down for the last five years. Collins says he wants to spend more time with his family, and he added it is too hard to coach in public schools.
He says public school coaches are underpaid and their programs do not have the resources they need to maintain success.
Collins says when he broke the news to his players they did not believe him because he had been telling them the last three years he was going to step down, but after realizing he was serious this time around they were shocked.
During his 15-year run at Andrew Jackson, Collins has had a lot of success, leading the Tigers to the FHSAA Final Four five times and the state championship game four times, but he never won it as a head coach. Andrew Jackson entered the 4A state title game back on March 2 on a 21-game win streak before losing to Gibbs 49-43.
Collins was a member of the last Andrew Jackson boys’ basketball team that won it all back in 1993.
As for his legacy as the Tigers head coach, Collins says he does not care about his legacy adding he has always only cared about molding the young boys he coached into productive men.
He said what he is most proud of is the more than 50 players he helped earn scholarships to play at the next level. Collins says he will not coach again in Jacksonville, but he will not completely rule out returning to coaching.