Christmas morning will be day #162 as Director of Athletics at Eastern Washington University.
The holiday season can add a bit of welcomed chaos, however, it’s also a wonderful opportunity to pause for reflection and to give thanks as we come to a close on the calendar year.
First and foremost, I am thankful for the efforts of our student-athletes this past fall. During a time like no other in college athletics, they continue to take advantage of the opportunities provided in the most pure form of intercollegiate athletics. And they achieve at a high level. After the fall quarter grades were tabulated, they earned a collective 3.56 GPA. That will get them on Santa’s nice list for sure!
I am thankful to have some incredible teammates in our Athletics Department. EWU Athletics staff continues to work together to serve our student-athletes, our campus, and our community. We had the fortune to take a moment as an Eastern Athletics family and celebrate the holiday season (pictured) at O’Doherty’s Irish Grille in Spokane. The location choice was probably a reflection of my Irish roots… but there were some unique items in the “Secret Santa” gift exchange. Associate Head Coach for women’s basketball Skip Gleason’s interpretation of an “AD starter pack” will keep me nourished as we kick off 2024.
Last but not least, I’m thankful for all of you. I often mention that our responsibility is to bring our community together to celebrate our University. Your passion and continued advocacy of our student-athletes makes it easy to serve as that catalyst. EWU Athletics welcomed 58,000 total attendees to athletic events on our beautiful Cheney campus last year, and that number is expected to grow as we continue the 2023-24 academic year.
As Renee, Kennedy, James and I spend our first Christmas in the state of Washington, we are anxiously looking forward to welcoming one of our favorite and most loyal Eastern fans late on the night of December 24th — of course Santa roots for the Eags… he wears OUR colors: RED and WHITE!
Wishing you a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
Go Eags!
Tim Collins
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Eastern Washington University
