Sue Collins, former George Mason senior associate athletic director and senior women's administrator, died Friday, Aug. 10 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was 71.
"The Mason community mourns the loss of Sue Collins," said director of athletics Brad Edwards. "Sue was a major contributor to the growth of Mason Athletics for more than three decades and an unwavering advocate for the advancement of women's sports.
"Her achievements in student-athlete welfare programming went well beyond George Mason, as Sue achieved significant policy-making victories at the NCAA level in the areas of gender equity and diversity early in her career," added Edwards. "She truly was passionate and invested in the lives of student-athletes, both at Mason and across the country."
A native of North Tonawanda, N.Y., Collins retired from Mason after the 2014-15 season, capping an outstanding 34-year career with the Patriots and more than 40 years in NCAA Division I Athletics. A leadership award was created in her name and is awarded annually to the Mason student-athlete who best exemplifies the leadership qualities embodied by Sue.
Collins began her athletic administration career as an assistant athletic director at George Mason in 1981 after serving a one-year internship in the athletic department at the University of Maryland. Her expertise was driven toward academic performance, gender equity and compliance with NCAA rules and regulations, where she maintained a commitment to excellence.
Collins pioneered many initiatives and programs at George Mason and at the NCAA level, especially in academic and eligibility policy. She served on several NCAA committees, including the high-level NCAA Council responsible for day-to-day decision making for Division I, the NCAA Eligibility committee and the NCAA Executive Committee.
While serving on the NCAA Council, Collins assisted in the development of a Gender Equity Survey designed to gather information on athletic departments' compliance with Title IX. She later served as a consultant to the Office of Civil Rights and assisted in the development of the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) Survey. In 1991 Collins, working with Mason computer programmers, helped develop a database that is used by all NCAA member institutions today.
The Patriots earned many accolades under Collins' guidance, including the 2008 Diversity in Athletics Award in the category of African American Graduation: Male Student-Athletes. Mason was one of the nation's first 15 schools to complete the NCAA certification process and perennially ranks among the nation's best in the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act survey.
In addition to her other duties, Collins became the first Senior Women's Administrator at Mason when the NCAA designated the position in 1981. She helped spur the growth of athletics at Mason, and the university added six sports programs--five women's and one men's team—during her tenure. The women's soccer team, established in 1982, claimed Mason's first NCAA Championship in 1985. The Patriots also would earn an NCAA Championship in 1996 with men's indoor track and field and a memorable trip to the 2006 NCAA Final Four with men's basketball.
Collins earned a bachelor's degree in 1970 from the University of Dayton then attended Northern Illinois University as a Graduate Assistant in 1972, where she was the assistant coach for women's volleyball and head coach of the junior varsity women's basketball team. After graduation, she was offered the position of physical education instructor and head coach for women's volleyball at The Ohio State University. Even though Title IX was passed in 1972, it wasn't until 1976 when the Big Ten allowed women into the athletic department, and Collins had the honor of awarding the first athletic scholarship from Ohio State to a female student-athlete.
Collins' funeral mass is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, Kansas.
