Leo Collins

Leo Collins sits at his desk. “It’s like those Saturday Night Live guys,” Collins says with a chuckle. “ ‘I’m not worthy.’ ”

The plaques, certificates of appreciation, awards, and thank-yous that line his office at RBC Dain Rauscher may challenge that statement. But Collins is sticking to his guns, insisting he has just been “lucky.”

Collins overuses that word, lucky, letting it rest only to replace it with fortunate when speaking about the years since 1990 when he started working at Dain and volunteering on a regular basis. Since then, the organizations to which Collins has given his time include the Special Olympics, Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners, University of St. Thomas for Senior Citizens’ Education, Dorothy Day Center, and University of Notre Dame Alumni Association (he played on the 1966 national champion football team). Memorial Blood Centers, where he gives blood every fifty-eight days, has him on an automated call list to remind him of appointments.

“I’m a worker bee,” Collins says. “I just do what I can.”

Though he has received awards and recognition for his work, he is most humbled by a quote from his son, who likes to say that in life Collins is “not just a player, he’s a coach.” Collins beams, recounting the compliment. His leadership skills are apparent the second Saturday of every month when he helps organize Notre Dame alums to make breakfast for more than 200 people at the Dorothy Day Center or at events such as Earl Cup, a golf tournament he created and named after a homeless man, which last year raised $20,000 to fight chronic homelessness and support Interfaith Outreach.

For Collins the coach, it’s all part of the game.

“People should just do what they are able to do,” Collins says. “I have just been fortunate to be able to give.”