Xavier’s Pat Collins has seen it all

CEDAR RAPIDS - Being a public address announcer for a high school athletic event is no easy task.

Whether identifying a player's number among the immense pile of linemen on the football field or keeping track of fouls accumulated by each competitor on the basketball court, it takes a special talent to provide a non-biased and informative approach to these emotionally charged contests.

For Pat Collins, a 1983 graduate of Regis High School, taking on the position as PA announcer started as nothing more than a simple act of kindness.

'A good friend and classmate of mine, Mike Winker, initially asked me to help out with public address announcing for Regis boys' basketball games,” Collins said. 'Although I was a little apprehensive at first, I considered it a real honor to do something for my alma mater.”

His role expanded greatly once the doors of Xavier opened in 1998. Soon he was calling varsity football games, girls' basketball games and track meets. All in all, Collins has worked nearly 700 events since the mid-1990s. As one might expect, his exemplary commitment to serving the Xavier community has been full of countless memories. His biggest take-away from the experience, however, does not include a specific game or play.

'There has been so many great games and great seasons, too many special memories to recall just one,” Collins said. 'The best memories are of the many players and coaches from both Xavier and other schools, as well. It is pretty cool to look back and remember working the very first basketball or football games here. The school has really come a long way since then.”

As a proud father of three Xavier alumni and a current student, Pat's time as a PA announcer for Saints' athletics has been nothing short of a joy ride. His love for the school and what it represents has driven him toward this volunteer work, and he has no intentions of stepping down soon. In his extended tenure with Xavier, Collins has served as president of the Xavier Booster Club for seven years, chairman of the Xavier Booster Club Golf Outing for 11 years and was the recipient of the William Thinnes Award for Outstanding Support of Catholic Education in 2014.

The accolades don't stop there either, however. On March 20, 'the voice of the Xavier Saints” received the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association's 'Outstanding Service Award” at the annual convention in Coralville. Not bad for a man who began his career as a marketing and public relations consultant in Chicago.

'I think when you are a part of a catholic school community, it really takes a lot of volunteers to make everything work,” Collins said. 'I've always felt contributing in any way possible is important if you can do it.”