Collins Inspires Through Storied Career

Storytelling can be one of the most effective ways to teach and coach. Getting a point across can have its challenges. But a well detailed story, delivered with a purpose and passion is a powerful and effective tool to deliver a message. Coaches often use personal anecdotes to get their message through to their team. A compelling story can take us on emotional journeys of excitement, anguish, or humor. They can also motivate, inspire and provide a purpose to those on the receiving end. 

If you have never heard former basketball coach and commentator, Doug Collins tell a story, you are missing out. For someone who has been around basketball since the 1960s, Collins has a portfolio of stories larger than the world's longest novel, Marcel Proust's elephantine Remembrance of Things Past. Similar to the book, Collins' chronicles are also a recollection of childhood and experiences into adulthood. 

Through books, articles, podcasts or other digital media, you can uncover countless interviews by Collins. He tells stories of playing in the controversial gold medal game against the Soviet Union in the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, being drafted first overall in the 1973 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, being named head coach of the Chicago Bulls, which featured a young Michael Jordan entering his third season and then to coach Jordan again in Washington towards the end of his career. He has stories from his broadcasting years, starting with CBS in the mid-1980s, calling mostly playoff games to being lead color analyst for the local broadcasts of the 76ers' games during the 1985–86 season to working for CBS, NBC, TNT, TBS, and ABC/ESPN when he was not coaching, including serving as an analyst for NBC Sports' TV coverage of basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. More recently, Collins has joined the Chicago Bulls as senior advisor of basketball operations. As a result, Collins can reach into his vast library of life experiences and pull out a personal story for every occasion.  

Of all the stories he has shared throughout his time in front of a mic, his stories about his relationship with college coach and mentor, Will Robinson, are some of the most memorable, compelling and inspiring. In an April 2008 interview with Jim Benson of The Pantagraph, Collins spoke about his memories of his coach. "To be honest, when I looked at Coach Robinson, I didn't see a white man or a black man. I just looked into the eyes of a man who was incredible," said Collins. "He was not a great Xs and Os coach. It wasn't about Xs and Os with him. It was about toughness and competition and survival and resilience and team. That was his message." 

As players this offseason struggle to stay motivated as they are sheltering in place and have to train by themselves, a specific story comes to mind that Collins shared on the Golf Channel’s David Feherty Podcast in September 2016 about his preparation at Illinois State before success found him. The story speaks to the toughness, competition, survival and resilience that coach Robinson expected from his Redbird team. He knew that changing people’s thinking, can change their behavior. It also speaks to Collins' remembrance of things past.

ISU Horton Field House (The Pantagraph/Lori Ann Cook-Neilsen)

Collins shared that while at Illinois State University, the basketball team had to do three things daily before practice. First, they had to run 50 laps around four chairs placed on each corner of the 94 feet court in Horton Field House. They then had to climb a rope to the top of the gym daily. Finally, they had to box every day for 3 minutes.

Collins said finally one day he approached Coach Robinson and said, “just tell me why I’m doing this.”

Coach responded, “If you want to be great, you gotta have stamina. That’s why you have to run. If you want to be great, you gotta have arm strength and courage. That’s why you have to be strong enough to climb that rope and I’ll know if you have the courage to get up there to the top of the gym. If you are going to be good, you got to learn how to fight, because some point in time, someone is going to try and rip in and take your heart and when they do, they take your game.”

“Don’t ever walk away from that,” Coach Robinson ended the conversation. 

photo: illinoisstate.edu

Collins immediately mentioned that he rolled up his sleeves and in 1972, he made the Olympic team and a year later in 1973, he became the first pick in the NBA draft. This from a kid, who in 1968 couldn’t play for his high school team in Benton, Illinois. 

The sharing of such an important conversation between a coach and pupil may also have profound influence on a listener's development, both physical and mental. Collins has shared that he is a product of great men and teachers. Every interaction with Robinson was a lesson which Collins carries with him still today.

When you are inspired, you exude positive energy that not only flows through you but also through others.  You expand your capability to influence and build confidence in others. Every story is a journey; whereas the storyteller starts with the end in mind. It's then the story receiver's job to take it from there and create a beginning - to see if you have the stamina, courage and fight to make a difference in your life.