Burnaby, BC – Simon Fraser University football coach Dave Johnson has announced that James Colzie III has accepted the position of defensive coordinator.
“His life experiences as an athlete and a coach are going to positively impact what we’re doing here,” said Johnson. “James has learned from the best coaches in the business. He brings a unique combination of educator and energy.”
Colzie III has extensive experience at both the Division I and Division II levels, winning a championships as a player at Division I, and as a coach at Division II.
“He has a tremendous wealth of experience. He knows what he needs and he knows what it should look like. He has the ability to communicate, to educate and to start at a level that’s understandable. The fact that he’s won at the Division II level and been through the playoff system is something you just can’t buy. He’s committed to getting SFU football to where it needs to go,” finished Johnson.
He’s also been a part of six conference championships and six bowl games as a player and coach.
As a player, he played at Florida State University where he was a four-year letterman as a defensive back on the football team and was also a one-year letterman on the baseball team.
In 1996, he was named to the All-ACC team and he was part of the team that won the 1993 NCAA Division I National Championship at the Orange Bowl.
He was the starter for Florida State in the 1996 Orange Bowl and also started in the 1995 and 1997 Sugar Bowl.
“Anytime you have an opportunity to be a defensive coordinator at this level you’re obviously interested,” said Colzie III. “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to work with Coach Johnson and broaden my horizons. After going through the interview process and seeing all the great things surrounding Simon Fraser, this was a no brainer.”
After his collegiate career as a two sport athlete, Colzie III signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played professional baseball for two years in the Montreal Expos system.
“I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of great people throughout my career. Getting to work with Coach (Bobby) Bowden and Coach (Mickey) Andrews, they’re legends in their positions. I’ve always been around people who have done it the right way and I’ve gotten to see first hand how hard they work to have the success that they have had,” continued Colzie III.
Colzie III has coached four players that are currently on NFL rosters and has honed the skills of 13 All-Conference players and eight All-Americans.
“A new coach will always have a different scheme, everyone has their own niche. I just want to keep the game simple. I want our players to not have to think so much and just react quicker,” continued Colzie III.
His coaching career began in 2000 at Florida International University, coaching corners and working with returners as the assistant special teams coordinator.
From there, Colzie III returned to his alma mater, Florida State University where he served as cornerbacks coach from 2004-07 under Bobby Bowden.
He then moved to the Division II level when he took a job at Valdosta State University as defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator. In 2007, he helped Valdosta win the Division II National Championship.
After Valdosta, Colzie III moved on to the University of West Georgia and held several positions, including assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Last summer, he was invited to work with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
“I had the opportunity to spend a couple of months as a guest coach with the Toronto Argonauts. I’d worked with Chris Jones their defensive coordinator in the past and to spend a couple of months traveling around with the team and working as a CFL coach was a great experience,” finished Colzie III.
Colzie III and the Clan are currently in spring camp, culminating in the teams spring game on March 23.
Photo: Ron Hole
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