Sports
Ohio Football: Burrow Retires After 14 Seasons At DC, LB Coach Collins Promoted
By: Taylor Jedrzejek
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As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
After 14 seasons as the defensive coordinator of Ohio Bobcats football, Jimmy Burrow has retired from coaching.
“After much discussion with my family, I’ve decided to retire from coaching,” Burrow said in a posting to OhioBobcats.com. “It was a difficult decision, but it gives me the opportunity to spend more time with family. I’d like to thank Coach Solich for giving me the opportunity to coach here at Ohio University. It has been an incredible experience to be a part of Ohio Football and this great university. I’d like to thank the players, past and present, for being a special part of my life. Go Bobcats!”
Burrow arrived in Athens in 2005 alongside Frank Solich. Along with offensive coordinator Tim Albin, the trio made up the longest tenured group of high ranking coaches in all of FBS, having coached the Bobcats in the same capacity for the last 14 seasons.
The mark left by Burrow on the Bobcat defense is a considerable one. Since taking over as the coordinator, Ohio has consistently ranked in the top five in the Mid-American conference in points against per game and yards given up per game.
Adding to that, just last season the Bobcats forced a staggering 32 turnovers, a feat that put Ohio on the top of the charts for all FBS teams.
Stepping up to fill the position vacated by Burrow’s retirement will be Ron Collins.
Collins has coached the linebackers at Ohio for the previous 8 seasons, a position group that can claim five All-MAC honors in that time period.
“I’m very humbled and excited about having the opportunity to lead the defense,”Collins told OhioBobcats.com. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity Coach Solich has given me and the trust that he has in me to lead the defense. I’d like to thank Jimmy Burrow for all he has done for me, personally, and for this program. It has been awesome to work with him.”
The lasting legacy that Burrow leaves behind stretches far beyond Athens. The Bobcats defense has seen six players seven players make an NFL roster, including the Browns’ Travis Carrie, the Colts’ Mike Mitchell, the Jaguars’ Blair Brown, the Jets’ Terrell Basham and the Dolphins’ Quentin Poling.
One player who could see his named called in the 2020 draft was happy to see Burrow retire however.
Joe Burrow, quarterback at LSU, had this to say on his twitter acount:
Collins will begin working with his defense when spring practice begins for the Bobcats in the first week of March.