Where Are They Now: Liam Collins
With NSC signing former Nashville Football Club players Tanner Dietrich and Shak Adams to MLS contracts, many of you have been reminiscing and wondering what has happened to some of the other NFC Boys in Gold.
In response to these queries, The Trust is doing a series of “Where Are They Now” stories to bring the NFC/NSC fans up to date on the original “Boys in Blue and Gold”.
We will start with our captain from 2015/16: #10 Liam Collins.
Liam began life in Skibbereen, Ireland, a small fishing village on the southwest coast whose name means “small boat harbor.” He grew up with his two brothers Mark and Owen playing all the sports that young Irish lads love – hurling, Gaelic football, and most importantly soccer. Around 15, however, his prowess in soccer became pronounced and he began to focus on this love of his life.
After an illustrious prep career which included winning an FA Cup with the U18 Cork City Squad, Liam found his way to the Memphis Tigers through a former coach. He started and led the team in assists for all four years. Along the way he was named All AAC Conference as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and when he left school he was tied for the Memphis all-time career record in assists with 34.
While still in college, Liam began his NPSL career playing for Hamilton FC (now KW United), and was named the 2011 Player of the Year. On the strength of his college and NPSL success, he was invited in 2012 to play for DC United’s U23 squad and eventually to the shores of the Cumberland to play for Nashville FC,
Liam has many fond memories of his two years with NFC. In particular – playing in front of the supporters, the Roadies chants, running roughshod over New Orleans at home right after the USL announcement, and all the Chattanooga matches. He most misses Elliot Goodwin’s goal celebrations, Roberto Pimental’s sense of humor, and taking the pitch with his running mate Danny Dunleavy (although he and Danny still find time to play together every now and then).
After his days with NFC Liam carried on his stellar NPSL career with InterNashville, where in 2017 he made the All NPSL team. But while Liam was playing he was also continuing his education. He graduated from the University of Memphis and went on to get his Masters of Science in Fitness Administration and Management from Cumberland University. While he was at Cumberland he also took on an assistant coach role, and in the 3 years he was there the squad went 40-15-3 and went to three conference championship games (winning one).
Today Liam is combining his passions as an educator and soccer coach at the Missouri Military Academy, (MMA). MMA has been in existence for over 130 years and is an all-boys preparatory school on a beautiful 300 acre campus midway between Saint Louis and Columbia, Missouri. When he is not teaching American and World history, he is inspiring his boys on the pitch.
Liam likes to say, “We work hard, have fun and play as a team for each other; I believe that when you get the right mix of those ingredients, winning will happen very naturally.”
So far, the guys seem to be responding to his tutelage, as in his second year his boys in Maroon and Gold earned their way to the Missouri state tournament. (Gold seems to follow him everywhere.)
But it is not just on the pitch and in the classroom where Liam is finding success. In 2018 Liam took his college sweetheart, the beautiful Kelley Gravlin, home to Ireland. While there Liam kissed the Blarney Stone for the first time. Whether it was the stone’s fabled gift of persuasion or Liam’s natural charm, he found he was able to convince Kelley to marry him and on July 6, 2019 he and Kelley tied the knot and raced off to a Hawaiian honeymoon. Kelley was a scholarship soccer player at Memphis as well, and while Liam said there were no “little Liams” forthcoming in the near future, one can only marvel at the potential talent the next generations of Collinses will possess. In the meantime, Liam will be spending his days inspiring excellence in the hearts and minds of potential future NSC players.