Bevins joins M-Club Hall of Fame

MARYVILLE, Missouri — Getting reunited with Northwest Missouri State football in 2013 turned out so well for Collin Bevins that he recently became one of the university’s Hall of Famers.

Bevins, a 2012 Creston graduate, was initially recruited by the Division II football powerhouse during his all-state career with the Panthers. But, Bevins committed to an offer from Iowa State University and communication with the Bearcat staff diminished.

When Bevins was looking for a new start in 2013 after redshirting his freshman year at ISU, he knew where to turn. He was grateful the Bearcat staff was still interested in him.

That was a big part of his acceptance speech when Bevins was among the M-Club Hall of Fame induction banquet on Friday, Oct. 24 in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. Among the others honored that night were several teammates from the 2015 and 2016 Bearcat football teams that put together perfect 15-0 seasons, MIAA titles and national NCAA Division II championships under coach Adam Dorrel.

“I just said I was thankful for the opportunity to come down here,” Bevins said. “When I was 19 looking for a new place to go, I had friends there and a cousin on the team. I was glad that they welcomed me with open arms, because they didn’t take many chances on ‘drop-down’ guys (from NCAA Division I). It’s been great to hear from coaches from that time reaching out to congratulate me. I also wanted to thank my family for their support. They never missed a game.”

One family member wasn’t able to attend the Hall of Fame induction, however. Older brother Jared Bevins, who wrestled and played football at Simpson College, was coaching the Wayne High School football team in a playoff game at Bedford on the night of the induction ceremony.

Bevins said more than 20 members of those 2015 and 2016 team were in attendance for the Hall of Fame induction, which also included an introduction on the field at halftime of the homecoming football game, a 14-0 win over Nebraska-Kearney.

“When I looked around the room and saw those guys, there were so many stories going through my head,” Bevins said. “We started talking to each other as teammates and it was like we were back in time together again.”

Northwest Missouri State had won a title in 2013 but lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2014. The team felt slighted by preseason predictions.

“Winning that championship in 2015 was pretty special,” Bevins said. “We were told we were going to be a 7-4 football team. That gave us a feeling of having something to prove. We worked really hard from January to the following December, and it was satisfying to see the hard work pay off. Then in 2016 when we were defending champions it was like 2014 again, we could feel the energy in every stadium that we played in because people were up to play their best against us. We were getting everybody’s best shot.”

When Bevins and his teammates were introduced on the field at the football game the next day, he said it was a surreal feeling. He remembered his time as a player speaking with Hall of Fame inductees. Now he was the “old guy” who used to play there.

“When I was playing I remember seeing those Hall of Fame guys and hearing how things were when they were playing,” Bevins said. “Now I was on the other side of it and it was pretty cool. It was like a full circle moment for me. It sure was nice to be around the guys again and going down memory lane. All the stories came rushing back.”

Bevins earned All-American honors in both 2015 and 2016 as a defensive lineman. He holds the single-season and career school records for quarterback sacks and tackles for loss. Bevins totaled 34.0 sacks and 58.5 tackles for loss in 51 career games as a Bearcat.

He appeared in 14 games in 2013, helping the Bearcats to its fourth NCAA Division II national championship. Then after a the 11-3 season and MIAA championship in 2014, the Bearcats rebounded from the early playoff loss to go 30-0 over the next two seasons with back-to-back titles.

The Bearcats went an incredible 54-5 during Bevins’s four seasons at Northwest.

As a junior, Bevins was named the MIAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was named to first-team AP Little All-America status after setting single-season school records of 15.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss.

In 2016 Bevins gained AFCA, AP, D2CCA and D2Football.com first-team All-American recognition in helping the Bearcats to a second consecutive 15-0 championship season. Bevins also set the Northwest postseason record of 12 quarterback sacks in the playoffs. He ranks No. 4 in MIAA history with 34.0 sacks.

Bevins now resides in Clarinda and is assistant manager at Akin Building Center there.