Coach Ian Collins  is a three-time conference coach of the year, Collins has transformed the UK program into an annual contender from the ground

up, taking over in 1994 and running up 168 career wins and a winning percentage hovering just under 60 percent.

Known for having teams at UK that utilize a stingy, shutdown defense, Collins' clubs take on the personality of its coach, showcasing a emphasis on

physicality, toughness and a never-quit attitude.

Collins, a native of Bridge North, England, came to UK after spending three years at St. John's University in Jamaica, N.Y. Since arriving, Collins has

formed Kentucky into a run-away powerhouse in the Mid-American Conference and an annual contender in the rugged Conference USA. Collins

paced UK through a decade of dominance in the MAC, posting a 44-13-4 record from 1995-2004, winning a staggering 75 percent of its contests

and a total of seven regular season and tournament titles.

After solidifying itself as the team-to-beat in the MAC, Collins oversaw a critical transition into C-USA for Kentucky in 2004. Since the transition,

Collins hasn't allowed the program to do anything but win, winning 70 percent of its league matches and finishing among the top three in the

conference for three of four seasons in the league.

In a conference packed with mid-continent titans SMU and Tulsa, Kentucky has stepped right into the fray, finishing second in the C-USA regular

season in 2006 and 2008, posting a third-place finish in 2007 - a season that saw the UK team crippled with injury.

After a 3-4-2 league run in 2005, UK's first season in the conference, Collins guided UK to a stellar 2006 campaign. In 2006, the Wildcats won 14 games, their second highest total ever and finished in second place in C-USA -- one point behind SMU, which was ranked No. 1 all season long.

Along with the wins in 2006 came national recognition as UK returned to the top 25 after a one-year absence, reaching as high as No. 13, the best in school annals.

Kentucky also returned to dominance at home in 2006, posting a school-record 10-1 mark at the UK Soccer Complex in 2006, including a stunning 1-0 double-overtime victory over sixth-ranked South Carolina.

The Wildcats were the third-most improved team in the nation during the 2006 campaign, going 14-5-2 after a 6-7-6 campaign in 2005. However, that year, while not up to Kentucky standards, a young UK squad suffered six one-goal losses, including two in overtime.

After losing two of the more prolific offensive players in the history of the program to professional soccer in 2006, Collins was faced with one of the more challenging coaching jobs of his career in 2007, as UK was hit with a crippling injury bug, losing as many as 14 players from the regular-playing rotation. Collins was left to pick up the pieces, turning future All-American defender Barry Rice into one of UK's lone goal-scoring threats on set pieces and grinding out a 5-3, third-place finish in the league, including the first win over a top-ranked team in school annals, a come-from behind 2-1 win over No. 1 SMU.

Enter the 2008 season and another amazing coaching job from Collins, as the Wildcats posted 12 wins and a final No. 21 national ranking. Collins directed UK to a second-place finish in the conference, going 6-1-1 and advancing to the championship game of the C-USA Tournament. After falling behind early, UK rallied to even the game and force the decisive penalty kicks, eventually losing 4-2 in penalties. Despite the penalty-kick decider, UK ended the season on a school-record 10-match unbeaten streak and when the NCAA selection committee made its picks the following Monday, UK was the only team ranked in the top 25 to not get a dancing card.

With the disappointment of the finale to the 2008 season comes a sense of excitement for the 2009 campaign, as the trio of captains that led UK to 12 wins a year ago return with hopes of punching UK's dance ticket in November.

While the teams coached by Collins over the last two decades have had a lot of success, his individual tutelage has shined bright, with a total of three players earning All-America honors - including Rice, a 2008 second-team selection. A total of 29 players have earned All-Region honors since 1994 and since UK joined C-USA in 2005, 19 players have earned All-Conference USA recognition. While in the MAC, 44 of Collins' student-athletes earned All-MAC accolades, directing three players to MAC Player of the Year honors.

In addition to producing outstanding teams, Collins has shaped outstanding student-athletes as well. Collins' players have excelled in the classroom, resulting in 44 MAC Academic Honor Roll and 111 Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll selections - since 1998 - as well as four academic All-Americans. Since joining C-USA in 2005, 67 student-athletes have earned C-USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll accolades. Three times since 2005, UK soccer has been honored as the top academic athletic team at the annual Kentucky CATSPY Awards and four times since 2000 UK has been awarded the NSCAA Team Academic Award

Arriving in the Bluegrass as an assistant coach in 1992, Collins has been a part of the Wildcat family for 15 of its 17 years. He spent two seasons as assistant for former head coach Sam Wooten before taking over the reins prior to the 1994 campaign.

Prior to coming to Lexington and as the top assistant at St. Johns, Collins was involved with all areas of coaching the Red Storm, including allocation of scholarship and recruiting funds. He was directly responsible for a daily training schedule and developed team techniques and tactics.

After coming to the United States in 1986 from Great Britain, a 22-year-old Collins became the youngest head coach in Division I soccer when he accepted the head coaching job at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

During his playing days, Collins earned a spot on the English School Boy Under-18 National Team. Collins also spent three years in the Northeast Professional Soccer League.

In January 1993, Collins was awarded the Robert McNulty Award as the outstanding coaching candidate at the United States Soccer Federation Coaching School. In January 1994, Collins earned his USSF "A" coaching license, and he also holds a NSCAA Premier Diploma. Two summers ago, Collins spent time in Europe attending the UEFA "A" course.

Collins spent three years in New York working as a stockbroker on Wall Street, and in 1990, he earned his real estate sales license.

A graduate of Bridge North Endowed High School in England, Collins attended Crewe and Alsager College (Cheshire, England) and received his HNC degree in business finance in 1985.  Born April 14, 1963, Collins and his wife Jenny have two children, Jack and Victoria. They reside in Lexington, Ky.

Coach Collins has coached for Commontwealth Soccer Club since 2008 as the head coach of the 98 Girls Gold team.

Coach Ian Collins

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