ICC Coaching Legend Retires After 23 Unforgettable Seasons

Itawamba Community College Head Coach Rick Collier is closing the book on his head coaching tenure after a legendary career at ICC.

Collier joined the coaching staff in 2002 with Itawamba showing lots of potential as a baseball program, but not having many milestones to remember. However, Collier immediately made his presence known as head coach by bringing a MACJC title as well as a Region 23 title in 2003 en route to a fifth-place finish at the NJCAA World Series.

The 2003 season was monumental for the program at the time, with the team winning 46 games including a 22-game win streak. As a result of the unforgettable season, Governor Ronnie Musgrove officially declared June 25 as “ICC Indians Baseball Day.” But, that was only a sneak peek at what coach Collier would accomplish with the Indians.

The next two decades were a wild trip for ICC. The Indians built a perennial powerhouse, claiming eight MACJC North Division titles before the league was realigned. Collier’s squads only missed the playoffs five times in 23 seasons, and his players showed excellent discipline and grit.

As far as accolades go, Collier was a three-time MACJC Coach of the Year in the years 2003, 2009 and 2019. The 2009 season included a stretch through the state tournament where the Indians scored 47 runs in three games. Collier also passed Roy Cresap in 2016 for the most wins in ICC history.

Although coach had a lot of box score victories, more of his achievements came with how all of his players carried themselves and allowed him to develop them. More than 20 of the players that Collier coached at ICC were drafted, with Tim Dillard and Desmond Jennings making it all the way to the major leagues.

Collier notched 704 total wins into the record books, an achievement that solidified his legacy with the Indians. After 23 unforgettable seasons, coach has earned his walk-off and will forever be a Mississippi baseball legend.

Itawamba will begin the process of hiring its next head coach on Monday.

Author administrator Kellen Walker