More about Michael Collins

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Mike was born and raised in Parma, Idaho, a small rural farm community in Southwest Idaho.  He has one younger sister who still lives in the treasure valley with her family.  Mike's parents moved to Idaho as children.   Mike is the first in his family to go to college and he did so paying his own way with savings, scholarships and loans.  His father worked most of his life for a local farm and fuel company where he drove fuel trucks delivering to all of the regional farmers and ranchers.  When he could no longer drive he moved into store operations.  His mom worked various jobs until she began part-time work for the Parma School District first as a custodian, then into food service and eventually overseeing all of the main campus' breakfast and lunch programs.

Mike was actively involved in sports and other activities throughout his time before college as he was involved in 4-H, FFA, played football, basketball, baseball and competed in track.

He worked many different jobs growing up, but mostly was able to use the connections through his dad with the local farmers and ranchers where he spent most of his time bucking hay, moving sprinkler pipes and cattle and just about every other aspect of farm and ranch work you can imagine.  He also worked for a crop dusting company as well as a lawn and landscaping business.

Mike's family were regulars at church throughout his lifetime and in fact, as something to make his mom happy, he became an ordained minister.  Although he does not preach on Sunday's, he has officiated a number of weddings, usually those of athletes and students he has coached or taught.

Mike graduated from Parma High School.  He attended Boise State University and after figuring out what he wanted to be when he grew up (at least he thought so), he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 1993, then he and his wife (Tracy) moved to Salt Lake City, where he earned a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology in 1996.  Following this they returned to their roots in Idaho by moving to Lewiston, where his wife grew up. Mike attended the University of Idaho where in 1999 he earned a PH.D. in Education with an emphasis in Sport Science.

Mike has had a huge number of things in his life that he has been involved in.  Some were over short periods of time, and some have become more long lasting and a part of who he is as a person.   One of his favorite passions is fishing.  He has often been quoted that if he could find a way to be paid to stand alongside the Selway River, you wouldn't have to look any further to find him.  Additionally, he enjoys playing poker.  Outside occasional trips to Las Vegas, Mike has a group he plays with once a month made up of local retired farmers, ranchers and businessmen.  Despite the fact that they are already retired, he is often adding to their retirement portfolios.   He is also a passionate reader as you can see in the library he built in his home during the pandemic.  He is also an avid outdoorsman in addition fishing.  He owns a shorthair pointer that he enjoys bird hunting with, a joy he found as a youth with his father.  He was also involved in bike racing and subsequently triathlons where he found limited success, qualifying for the US National championships six times and he has also completed three Ironman Triathlons (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run).  He is contemplating another in the future.

Mike's interest in politics started at the local level when he ran for and was elected to the Lewiston City Council.  After two years he was selected as Mayor Pro Tem.  Two years later he was re-elected and selected as the Mayor of Lewiston where he served as Mayor for the next four years.  He served as mayor during the time of the pandemic, which was challenging for all, which made for tough decisions, including mask mandates.  Mike did not support mask mandates and voted against them.  He chose not to run again as his youngest daughter had chosen to run for him at the college and he made a promise to her that he would devote 100% of his attention to his coaching and helping her and her teammates in achieving their goals and dreams.  A promise he has fulfilled.  While on council he served on many community and regional committees and boards including Emergency Services, Metropolitan Planning, Historical Society, Library Foundation, 2nd District Magistrate Commission to name a few.

Mike is involved in a number of local groups, foundations and boards as well as national associations including the LC Valley Health foundation, which gives over a million dollars a year to regional groups to help improve the health of its citizens, the LCECP, more commonly known as Head Start, Zion's Bank Community Board of Advisors, the ELKS and national associations like the NRA (National  Rifle Association).  He has also volunteered his auctioneering skills at many local charity auctions at no cost to the auction to help benefit many different causes.

As mentioned, Mike was born and raised in Parma, Idaho.  Both of his parents still live there.  His younger sister still lives in the treasure valley with her family.  Growing up he spent a lot of time with both sets of his grandparents where he learned a lot of their history and the challenges of their lives.  Both of his grandfathers were WWII veterans serving in the US Army and US Navy.  Mike married Tracy (Saxton) who grew up in Lewiston.  Her parents (Duane and Eadie) are lifelong Lewiston residents.  Mike and Tracy have two grown daughters, Kassie and Emily and a couple of four-footed family members as well.