Terry Collins

Terry Collins never made it to the majors as a player – but he eventually found success as a manager. Starting in 1971, Collins spent many years bouncing around the minors as a light-hitting infielder turned coach and field leader. He managed two big-league clubs in the 1990s plus one in Japan a decade later before a seven-year run with the New York Mets, whom he led to their first World Series in 15 years in 2015 – the feat for which he will likely be best remembered.

Terry Lee Collins was born on May 27, 1949. in Midland. Michigan. His father. Loren “Bud” Collins. worked in labor relations for the Dow Chemical Company, which is headquartered in Midland. Loren and Choyce (née Hendrix) also had a daughter, Connie (Altimore), who still lives in Midland.

Collins said his family loved baseball when he was growing up. “When I was 12 years old [he would actually have been 11], I was such a baseball fan that I was begging my mom to stay home to watch the World Series between the Yankees and the Pirates,” he remembered. “She wrote me a note to get me out of school that [said] I was sick in the afternoon and couldn’t go back to school…because the World Series [games] were all in the daytime back then – to watch the game.”1

“He (Terry) had a baseball cap and a bat and a ball every time I got home from work. When I came home for lunch, he would be standing by the back door, looking at me,” his father said. “So I’d go out and play with him for a few minutes, and when I’d get home again at night, he’d still be waiting for me out there. I was the pitcher and the catcher and the fielder. All he wanted to do was hit.”2

When Collins was old enough to try out for the baseball team at Midland High, before he left for the first day of tryouts his father gave him a gift: a new baseball glove.3

Collins was a three-sport star at Midland High, also playing basketball and football. During the summer, he worked at Dow Chemical as well as other jobs. “I worked on a railroad (one summer). We laid track,” he remembered. One year, he told the coach of the local semipro team that he would play for them if needed. He had just gotten off work when the coach called. “I told my dad, ‘Man, I don’t want to go,’” said Collins. “(My father) said, ‘Did you tell him you’d be on the team? Go.’ That was the rule he lived by: You made a commitment, go play. And by the way, go play hard.”4

When he graduated from Midland High, Collins attended Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. He played shortstop for EMU Eagles from 1968-71, leading the team in steals in each of his four seasons. Collins played on the 1970 team that won the NAIA National Championship, from which he took home the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Tournament award. Eastern Michigan inducted him into its athletic hall of fame in 19945

After he graduated, Collins was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 19th round of the 1971 June amateur draft. Pittsburgh sent him to Niagara Falls in the low Single-A New York-Pennsylvania League. The right-handed throwing Collins (who batted left-handed) finished with a .306 batting average. He led the team with 51 runs scored and came in second in stolen bases with 12. He played 70 games that season, all of them at shortstop.

Pittsburgh moved Collins to second base when they sent him to their Salem (Virginia) team in the high Single-A Carolina League in 1972. He batted .253 while scoring 77 runs. The following year, he was moved up to the Double-A Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada) Pirates in the Eastern League. Collins, playing primarily second base again, saw his batting average drop to .235.

The Pirates sent Collins to the Los Angeles Dodgers after the season, and he played for their Waterbury team in the Eastern League in 1974, where Collins batted .200 in 86 games.

Collins split his time between Waterbury and the Dodgers’ Triple-A squad, the Albuquerque Dukes (Pacific Coast League) in 1975. He batted .303 overall that year. He also played shortstop, second base and third base for both teams.

As Collins struggled to make it out of the minors, he took on other jobs such as selling cars to make ends meet. “I had to make some money each day, but each day I dreaded the thought of going to work at 8 a.m. and hanging around the store until 9 at night for customers who never came,” he said.6

Collins played infield for Albuquerque from 1976-1978. He hit two of his six homers as a pro in ’76; his highest batting average in Triple-A (.277) came in ’78. He was also a coach on the Albuquerque team in 1979. Collins briefly played in two more seasons, 1980 and 1984, before he retired as a player.

“I quit baseball when, after all that time, I was told being 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds was too small for a major league infielder,” he said. “I didn’t agree, but I wish that someone had told me that sooner.7

After leaving baseball in 1980, Collins played and managed a fastpitch softball team in his hometown of Midland. “I had never played softball before,” he recalled. When the Pontiac-Cadillac sponsor of the team fired the manager, Collins was asked to become the player-manager.8

He took the team to the National Fastpitch Softball Championship, where they defeated York Barbell of Reading, Pennsylvania. When the local newspaper asked him if he would stay with the team to try for another championship, he told them that he was quitting, saying “I want to be a major league manager.”9

Collins took the first step toward getting his wish in 1981, when he was named the manager of the Dodgers’ low Class-A affiliate in Lodi, California. At 31, he was one of the youngest skippers in the league. “Baseball is something that I really enjoy,” he said at the time. “I want to succeed in this game as a manager.”10

He said that his year as a coach under Del Crandall in Albuquerque would be helpful in his new role. “I learned a lot from Del. Especially how to handle young players,” Collins’ team finished  73-67, good for third place in the California League.

The next year, Los Angeles moved Collins to its high Class-A team in Vero Beach. He managed several players – Sid Bream, Franklin Stubbs, and Sid Fernandez – who later  played in the majors. Collins managed the team to an 80-53 record in the Florida League.

Collins continued to move up the managing ladder in 1983 when he was assigned to manage the Double-A San Antonio Dodgers in the Texas League. Midway through the season, Collins was promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque when Crandall was hired for the manager position with the Seattle Mariners. At the time, Collins’ San Antonio team had 38-39 record.

“To replace a guy like Del is going to be the toughest task,” said Collins when he was given the job of managing the Dukes on June 28, 1983. “I’m just going to try as hard as I can to keep the winning tradition in Albuquerque.” Collins said that much of his managing philosophy was taught to him by Crandall. He said that his emphasis would be on developing the players.11

Collins added. “Development is winning and winning is development. If you teach players the correct things, they’re going to win – if you don’t work with players, they won’t. When they improve, they find success.”12 The Dukes went 38-32 through the remainder of the season under Collins’ leadership.

He remained as the Dukes’ manager from 1984-1988. Collins’ teams compiled a 346-366 record during those five years. Albuquerque won the Pacific Coast League championship in 1987 when it beat the Edmonton Trappers. The Dukes made the postseason again in 1988 but lost in the playoffs. Collins was named the PCL manager of the year in both 1987 and 1988.

Collins left the Dodgers organization after the 1988 season when he was hired as the manager of the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons (American Association), then the Pirates’ top farm club. The Dodgers had just given manager Tommy Lasorda a two-year extension and Collins said he joined the Bisons because he thought that it would give him a better opportunity to reach the majors as a coach or manager.

“Buffalo is a great opportunity, one that may only come one time,” said Collins. “Their ideas are my ideas. They want to be successful and want to win, and I want to win.” Pittsburgh general manager Syd Thrift said that Collins “fit the mold” of the “prototype manager” that they wanted.13

Collins managed the Bisons for three seasons, compiling a 231-162 record. The 1991 team finished first in the American Association West, but lost to the Denver Zephyrs, 3 games to 2, in the league playoffs.

After the minor-league season ended, Pirates manager Jim Leyland added Collins to his coaching staff as the bullpen coach. Over the next two seasons, his name came up when major-league teams were hiring managers.

The Houston Astros hired Collins as their field leader in November 1993. “How long it took me to get here is a part of what I am made of,” said Collins. “I’ll do everything it takes to bring us a championship.” He also said Leyland was “a man I idolize, and I’ll bring a lot of the things I learned from him to the Houston Astros.”14

Collins’ teams had winning records during each of his three years in Houston, finishing second in the NL Central each time. His best season came in 1994, when the Astros were 66-49 (.574).15

The Astros fired Collins after the 1996 season after he had gone 224-197 in his three years at the helm. Houston general manager Gerry Hunsicker said that three straight second-place finishes called for a change. “I didn’t feel good about what was happening in the clubhouse,” he said when announcing the change. “We need to get that winning feeling back.”16

Collins said after the October 4 announcement, “It surprised me very much but I’m not bitter. I got a chance. That’s all you can ask. We just didn’t win and now you got to move on.”17

One month later, the California Angels announced the hiring of Collins as their manager. Collins replaced Marcel Lachemann, who had resigned on August 6 after the team had lost five straight games in a disappointing season.18 (In the interim, the Angels had John McNamara and Joe Maddon at the helm.)

“Terry was the best fit for this team right now,” said Angels general manager Bill Bavasi. “Given a choice between casual and intense, we chose intense. That was the difference between Terry and the other candidates.” “All I ask for is effort,” said Collins. “When fans leave this park, I want them to say, ‘That team plays hard.’”19

The Anaheim Angels (as they were known from 1997 through 2004) improved under Collins’ leadership, finishing with an 84-78 record in 1997, second in the American League West. The team repeated that success in 1998, going 85-77 for another second-place finish.

When the Angels suffered a series of injuries in 1999, Collins struggled to keep the team in contention. After Anaheim lost nine straight games, Collins met with Angels management and decided to resign on September 2. At the time, California was 51-82, last in the AL West.

Collins had struggled to motivate his team as the losses mounted. Many of the players complained about his managing and spoke publicly about wanting Collins fired. “I tried everything I knew – I patted them on the back, kicked them in the butt, everything,” he said. “I gave it all I had and it wasn’t enough.”20 His overall record with the Angels was 220-237.

Later, Collins said that he never expected to manage again but felt like it was best for the team. “When I decided to resign I thought this was going to be it,” he said. “You don’t walk away. These jobs are hard to get. I knew you were better off being fired than you were [resigning]. But I go back to my respect for the game. It was time for me to get out.”21

After leaving the Angels, Collins worked in the farm system and scouted for the Dodgers. Initially he was the field coordinator (2002-2004) and later became the Director of Player Development for the L.A. organization (2005-2006). He was eventually drawn back to managing when the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Pacific League hired him to be their manager for the 2007 season.

“I was looking for something different to do,” he said when asked why he went to Japan. “This is what I love to do. I love to manage a game and compete, and I missed that.”22 Orix finished in sixth place with a 62-77 record in Collins’ first season. The Buffaloes continued to struggle in 2008, and Collins resigned in May. The team had a 21-28 record at the time.

Collins managed China in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. China went 1-2 in the tournament. Its only victory, a 4-0 win, came against China – Taipei. The team was eliminated after losing to Japan and eventual runner-up South Korea in the first round.

After the World Baseball Classic, Collins signed as the manager of the Duluth Huskies in the independent Northwoods League. The Huskies had fired their manager, and Collins was asked to manage them for the remainder of the season. He had a 5-9 record during his brief tenure with the team.

Collins said he took the manager position as a favor to a friend. “They asked me if I’d coach for the last month because they wanted to try to get these kids to talk some baseball and get them on the right path before they go back to college.”23

He also said that his brief stint with the Huskies rejuvenated his career. “I got recharged when I came to Duluth due to the energy you guys bring every day,” Collins said. “The fun part of baseball is coaching, and all of a sudden, I got to coach the game again.”

The New York Mets hired Collins as their minor-league field coordinator in November 2009. “This game is about player development,” Collins said when asked why he took the position. “And to see a young player get better and improve, it’s really fun. These guys keep you young. They’re young, they’re energetic, they’re fun to be around.”24

Collins married Deborah Giering in 2010. She said in an interview that they grew up together in Michigan, attended the same high school and dated in high school and college, but parted ways until they caught up with each other again.25

When the Mets finished 79-83 in 2010, they fired manager Jerry Manuel and general manager Omar Minaya. “We need to hire a new general manager with a fresh perspective who will transform this club into a winner that we want and our fans deserve,” said Mets owner Fred Wilpon.26 They hired general manager Sandy Alderson and tasked him with choosing the next manager.

Alderson eventually chose Collins from several candidates, giving him a two-year contract and another chance to manage despite how he’d left his last job with the Angels. “We were looking for someone who was going to be complementary to us. I think that’s what we’re getting,” said Alderson. “His time spent in player development was a significant factor. This job is all about leadership, but it’s also about teaching.”27

Collins was asked if he had changed his approach to managing in the years since he had managed the Angels. “I did a bad job of managing the clubhouse. I should have done a better job of staying on top of it,” he said. “It will not happen here. My patience over the years has changed. I’m a lot more patient.”28

The Mets struggled, with injuries during Collins’ first season at the helm. But despite the losing record, the front office gave him an extension for 2013. “We’re very pleased with the job that Terry has done,” said Alderson. “He has just done a terrific job in leading our team under sometimes difficult circumstances, and in all of those circumstances has not used injuries or trades or anything else as an excuse for the performance of the team.”29

In Collins’ second year at the helm, Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history on June 1, 2012. Collins, after talking to his starter and pitching coach Dan Warthen, allowed Santana to stay on the mound well past his 115-pitch limit.30 “I was just sitting there hoping he’ll get a couple of one-pitch outs,” he said. “I was very aware of what the wear and tear of that night could do to him.”31

Santana eventually threw 134 pitches on the way to the no-hitter. He was shelled in his next game when he gave up four home runs in a 9-1 loss to the Yankees and struggled the rest of the season. The Mets eventually shut him down for the season in August. Santana had pitched his last major-league game on August 17, appearing in only 10 games, with a 3-7 record and 8.27 ERA, after the no-hitter.

Collins says that he still wrestles with his decision. “People still come up to me at banquets, on the street, wherever, and tell me they’re glad I let him finish it,” said Collins. “I’m glad they’re glad. For me, the one thing it did is that one of the great competitive players I’ve ever been around got to have a great moment, and I was very happy for him.”32

Despite two more losing seasons in 2012 and 2013, the Mets continued to support Collins as their manager. Collins said that he was excited to continue managing the team as it was building into a contender. “We’re going into spring training with very, very high expectations,” he said. “It’s time to put some wins on the board. We have to start winning at home. That’s going to be our No. 1 priority.”33

The Mets improved slightly in 2014, finishing 79-83 for second place in the NL East Division. New York had its first winning season under Collins in 2015, going 90-72 to win its division for the first time since 2006. It was also the first time that Collins managed a team to the playoffs.

“It means a lot to me,” said Collins after the Mets clinched the division. “We sat up here and we told our fan base and our media that it’s going to get better and next year we’re going to win. And then to be sitting today and say we told you, it means a lot. It does.”34

The Mets beat the Dodgers in the best-of-five NL Division Series, 3-2. Then they swept the Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series to win the pennant and return to the World Series for the first time since 2000.

“I’m thrilled to death to be here,” Collins said ahead of the Series. “I can honestly tell you, being in baseball for 45 years, it tells you how hard it is to get here. So you better enjoy it.”35

His players were supportive of Collins. “He’s a pretty amazing fella,” said first baseman Lucas Duda. “He’s fiery, gets you motivated, and knows the game since he’s been in it longer than most of us have been alive.” Outfielder Michael Cuddyer echoed that sentiment, saying, “He was so good at letting us go through the phases of the season, going through the win streak, the down times in May and June. Now, the team ultimately rewarded him with his patience.”36

New York played the Kansas City Royals in the 2015 World Series. The Royals won the first two games in Kansas City. The Mets won the first game, 9-3, in New York but Kansas City took the next two games and the championship.

Collins received a lot of criticism for his decision to leave starter Matt Harvey in for the ninth inning of Game Five. At the time, the Mets had a 2-0 lead and Harvey gave up two earned runs. After tying the game, Kansas City eventually won it 7-2 in 12 innings.

Harvey argued with Collins in the dugout, telling him that he was able to pitch the ninth. “I saw the passion in his eyes that said, ‘I want this game,’” Collins said later. “Here was his chance to do the thing that he wanted to do more than anything, and that is, to win. Collins continued, “It’s the kid’s chance to show everybody who he really is, the guy I know he is. And that’s a tremendous competitor.”37

Two weeks after the season ended, the Mets extended Collins’ contract for two more years. “Terry did an extraordinary job this year under differing circumstances as time went on,” said Alderson. “Terry kept the team together, kept it competitive, kept our heads above water… and obviously got us into the World Series.”38 At the time, Collins was 66, making him the oldest active manager in baseball.

The Mets struggled for much of the 2016 season. But the team went 27-13 after August 20 to finish second in the NL East. New York lost to the San Francisco Giants 3-0 in the Wild Card Game.

Collins reached two milestones in 2017. He managed his 1013th game for the Mets on May 20, 2017. It was the most by any manager in franchise history. Collins finished the season with 551 wins, second behind Davey Johnson’s franchise record of 595.

Collins retired after the 2017 season and the Mets hired him as a special assistant to the general manager. “His tenure corresponds with what I hope is the rebirth of the Mets organization,” Alderson said. “I think he deserves a lot of credit for that.” Collins said he appreciated the Mets organization for giving him another chance to manage. “It’s been a blast, but it’s time,” he said.39

At the time, Collins said that he was open to helping the Mets or some other major-league team in any role that came up. “I’m a baseball guy. I’m not embarrassed about going to the minor leagues,” he said. “I’m not embarrassed about doing anything that I think can help a team win and get better.”40

Collins finished his major-league career with a 995-1017 record as a manager.

After his retirement, Collins worked as a studio analyst on FOX Sports as well as providing baseball analysis with SNY for Mets broadcasts from 2019-2022.

Collins was hired by Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng in February 2023. He was with the team as a front office consultant until Ng left the organization in October 2023. There was speculation after that about a return to the Mets franchise in some capacity. As of 2025, that had not yet happened, but meanwhile he was hosting a weekly Mets-oriented podcast, The Terry Collins Show. It featured many special guest stars from club history.

At age 75 in early 2025, this energetic baseball lifer’s story was still unfolding. Collins always keeps his father’s advice in his mind: “When you do something, you give it all you’ve got.”41

Last revised: January 27, 2025

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and David Bilmes and fact-checked by Ray Danner.

Photo credit: Terry Collins, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author also used Baseball-Reference.com for player, team, and season pages, and other pertinent material.

Notes

1 Mike Bertha, “Terry Collins’ Mom Once Let Him Skip School to Watch the Yankees in the World Series,” MLB.com, October 23, 2015. https://www.mlb.com/cut4/terry-collins-mom-let-him-skip-school-for-world-series/c-155381046

2 Andy Martino, “A Happy Father’s Day: Mets Manager Terry Collins Opens up About the Man he Loved, Lost and Had a Ball With,” New York Daily News, June 19, 2015. https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/06/19/a-happy-fathers-day-mets-manager-terry-collins-opens-up-about-the-man-he-loved-lost-and-had-a-ball-with/

3 “This Is What Terry Collins Was Thinking,” Sports Illustrated, February 1, 2015. https://vault.si.com/vault/2016/02/01/what-terry-collins-was-thinking

4 Ken Davidoff, “On 1st Father’s Day Without Dad, Terry Collins Remembers his Advice,” New York Post, June 20, 2015. https://nypost.com/2015/06/20/mets-terry-collins-lives-by-late-dads-advice/

5 “EMU Hall of Famer Terry Collins Named Manager of the Mets,” EMU Eagles.com, November 23, 2010. https://emueagles.com/news/2010/11/23/BB_1123103156

6 Jim Jenkins, “Business As Usual For Minor League Dodger Manager,” Sacramento Bee, June 24, 1981: C4.

7 Jenkins, “Business As Usual for Minor League Dodger Manager.”

8 “This Is What Terry Collins Was Thinking.”

9 “This Is What Terry Collins Was Thinking.”

10 Jenkins, “Business As Usual for Minor League Dodger Manager.”

11 Pete Ryan, “Terry Collins is a Duke Because He’s Ready,” Albuquerque Tribune, June 30, 1983: C1.

12 Ryan, “Terry Collins is a Duke Because He’s Ready.”

13 Mark Gaughan, “Collins Says Bisons Made Choice Easy,” Buffalo News, October 1, 1988: B3.

14 Associated Press, “Astros Hire Pirate Coach as Manager,” Fort Worth Star Telegram, November 18, 1993: C13.

15 Teams played 144 games in 1995 due to the players’ strike that didn’t end until mid-April.

16 “Astros Hire Pirate Coach as Manager.” Houston hired former Astros pitcher Larry Dierker. Dierker was working as an announcer for the team at the time and had no coaching experience.

17 “Astros Hire Pirate Coach as Manager,”

18 Collins asked Lachmann to be the team’s pitching coach and he served in that role for the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

19 Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels Switch to a Game of Pepper,” Los Angeles Times, November 5, 1996: C1.

20 Mike DiGiovanna, “Resigned to Failure,” Los Angeles Times, September 4, 1999: B1.

21 “This Is What Terry Collins Was Thinking.”

22 Jim Armstrong, “American Managers a Hit in Japan,” Berkshire (Massachusetts) Eagle, April 12, 2008: C2.

23 Patrick Nothaft, “World Series Skipper Terry Collins Thanks Northwoods League for Reviving Career,” Mlive.com, July 24, 2018. https://www.mlive.com/sports/kalamazoo/2018/07/world_series_skipper_terry_col.html

24 Brian Costa, “Q&A with Mets Minor-league Field Coordinator Terry Collins,” NJ.com, May 3, 2010.  https://www.nj.com/mets/2010/05/qa_with_mets_minor-league_fiel.html

25 “Terry Collins’ wife Deborah Collins,” PlayerWives.com, November 3, 2023. https://www.playerwives.com/mlb/new-york-mets/terry-collins-wife-deborah-collins/

26 “Mets Fire Manager Jerry Manuel, GM Omar Minaya,” CBSNews.com, October 4, 2010. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mets-fire-manager-jerry-manuel-gm-omar-minaya/

27 Andy Martino, “Skipper Leads with Faith and Fire,” New York Daily News, November 24, 2010: 59.

28 Martino, “Skipper Leads with Faith and Fire.”

29 Adam Rubin, “Mets Pick up Option for Terry Collins,” ESPN.com, September 27, 2011. https://www.espn.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7028150/new-york-mets-pick-terry-collins-managerial-option-13\

30 Santana had surgery to repair a torn capsule in his shoulder in 2010. Santana felt like he was completely healed after the surgery when the pain in his shoulder was gone.

31 Phil Taylor, “No-no Regrets: Johan Santana Would not Alter a Thing.” Terry Collins might,” Sports Illustrated, June 1, 2015. https://www.si.com/mlb/2015/06/01/johan-santana-no-hitter-anniversary-new-york-mets-terry-collins

32 Taylor, “No-no Regrets: Johan Santana Would not Alter a Thing.”

33 Matt Ehalt, “Mets Re-sign Terry Collins for 2 Years,” ESPN.com, September 30, 2013. https://www.espn.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9749055/pleased-new-york-mets-keep-manager-terry-collins-2-year-deal Collins, who was 64 at the time, became the oldest major league manager when Jim Leyland retired in October 2013.

34 Associated Press, “Collins, Gibbons Among 4 Managers Making Playoff Debuts,” Los Angeles Daily News, October 6, 2015.  https://www.dailynews.com/2015/10/06/collins-gibbons-among-4-managers-making-playoff-debuts/

35 Bob Nightengale, “Mets manager Terry Collins, a Baseball Lifer, Gets His Shot at World Series,” USAToday.com, October 26, 2015. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/10/26/mets-manager-terry-collins-baseball-lifer-gets-shot-world-series/74657934/

36 Nightengale, “Mets manager Terry Collins, a Baseball Lifer, Gets His Shot at World Series.”

37 “This is What Collins Was Thinking.”

38 Anthony DiComo, “Mets Extend Collins’ Contract Through ’17,” MLB.com, November 4, 2015. https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/mets-terry-collins-receives-two-year-extension/c-156395854

39 James Wagner, “Terry Collins Will Stay With the Mets, but Not as Manager,” New York Times, October 1, 2017: D3,

40 Matt Ehalt, “Collins Says He Has no Retirement plans, Prefers to Stay With the Mets,” NorthJersey.com, September 26, 2017. https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/mets/2017/09/26/exclusive-collins-plans-remain-baseball-would-prefer-remain-mets/706068001/

41 Davidoff, “On 1st Father’s Day Without Dad, Terry Collins Remembers his Advice.”