Chris Collier

Men's Basketball

'Where Are They Now Wednesday' - Chris Collier

Throughout the months of January and February, our weekly 'Where Are They Now Wednesday' features will take a look back at members of the 1991 and 2001 men's basketball teams, as well as 2001 women's basketball team as we celebrate the 30-year and 20-year anniversaries of those teams reaching the NCAA Tournament.

Even 30 years later, Chris Collier's name is still littered throughout the Georgia State record book for both single-game, single-season, and career performances. Collier's ultimate record which has not been close to being touched is his 49-point performance against Butler on Jan. 2, 1991, just two months before leading the Panthers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance. Collier pulled down 13 rebounds against Arkansas during March Madness, still the most rebounds grabbed by a Panther in NCAA Tournament competition.

Talk a little bit about what you have been up to the last 30 years (work, sports, family)
After I finished playing at Georgia State, I was drafted into the CBA where I played for three years. After my third year I decided to go overseas and play. I played in several different countries including Spain, Austria, Mexico, Taiwan, and Venezuela. Those were some great experiences as a young man to see. Once I finished playing, I started working for a lighting company (Progressive Lighting) where I worked for 16 years. While there I started off working in the warehouse in shipping and receiving, within five years, I was one of the store managers working one of the 11 stores in the Atlanta area. While playing in the CBA I married my college sweetheart (Yve Collier) who I have been married to for 28 years. We have two wonderful kids, Isabella who is 17, and Alex who is 15. They both are athletes and love the game which they play. We moved to Jacksonville, Fla., and have been there for the past four years. I recently left my job at First Coast Lighting to pursue another opportunity in the lighting industry with Savoy House Lighting, working in sales.

How did your experience at GSU help you get to where you are now?
My experience at Georgia State has helped me to become the man that I am today. I was taught how to deal with adversity and be able to handle it. How to overcome tough situations no matter what was in front of me. To be a leader and make a difference in a positive way. The things I have learned at Georgia State I will be able to pass on to my kids.

What is one thing you would go back and tell your 1991 self?
The one thing that I would go back and tell myself would be to not take anything for granted. Learn as much as you can while in college.

What was so special about that 1991 team?
What made that 1991 team so special was that nobody expected us to be there. The only ones who expected us to be there were everyone who was part of that team. With about three or four games left in the regular season, we started playing some of our best basketball going into the conference tournament with a lot of confidence. We ended up beating three good teams who all had beat us convincingly in the regular season (Stetson, Texas-San Antonio, Arkansas-Little Rock). That was a special group of guys and we could not have done it without each other. We were a band of brothers on a mission. Coach Reinhart's final words written on the board were 'Mission Accomplished!'

You got to play for Atlanta legend Bob Reinhart. Give us your best Coach Reinhart story?
I remember when I started dating my wife (Yve) in school and Coach Reinhart found out and really did not want me dating her because he thought she would be a distraction. He used to tell her to leave me alone. Later, he found out that she was probably the best thing for me because she helped me with some of my classes and kept me out of trouble. She became of his is favorites.
 
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