Celester Collier

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Celester "CC" Collier

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| player_sport1 = Basketball

| player_years1 = 1981–1983

| player_team1 = Southwest Texas State

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| coach_sport1 = Basketball

| coach_years1 = 1984–1986

| coach_team1 = Southwest Texas State

| overall_record = 12–42 (college basketball)

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Celester "CC" Collier (born c. 1952) is a retired American basketball coach. Collier played basketball at Paris Junior College from 1979–1981, and Southwest Texas State University from 1981 to 1983. He coached at SWT for two years after playing. He was inducted into the Paris Junior College Hall of Fame{{cite web |url=https://www.parisjc.edu/main/dragons-hall-of-fame/#:~:text=Collier |title=Dragons Hall of Fame |date=August 19, 2018 |website=parisjc.edu |access-date=November 19, 2023}} and the Southwest Texas State Hall of Honor in 2001.{{cite web |url=https://txst.com/honors/hall-of-honor#:~:text=Collier |title=Texas State Hall of Honor |website=txst.com |access-date=November 19, 2023}} Collier spent the last 31 years of a 43-year coaching career as the boys basketball head coach at Bowie High School in Austin, Texas.{{cite news |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/04/25/austin-bowie-high-school-boys-basketball-coach-celester-collier-retires/7444040001/ |title=Bowie High basketball's Celester Collier ends groundbreaking 43-year coaching career |first=Thomas |last=Jones |date=April 25, 2022 |work=Austin American-Statesman |access-date=November 19, 2023}}

He coached Veronica Mars creator and Dawson's Creek and Drive Me Crazy writer Rob Thomas at San Marcos High School in the late 1980s. Thomas's team has the second best record under Collier (32–4).

Collier won numerous District Coach of the Year awards, and was Bowie High School's Coach of the Year in 1994.

In 2004, Bowie High School was selected as the filming location for the feature film The Quiet.{{cite news |url=http://www.themonitor.com/entertainment/gosling-121-life-stars.html |title=Shh |last=Baldwin |first=Aaron |date=February 16, 2007 |work=The Monitor |access-date=July 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724075650/http://www.themonitor.com/entertainment/gosling-121-life-stars.html |archive-date=July 24, 2011}} The Bowie High School basketball team was chosen to act in the film and Collier was the head coach for Shawn Ashmore's team in the movie.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

In 2006, Collier guided Bowie to a 33–3 record and was named Central Texas Coach of the Year by the Austin American-Statesman.{{cite news |url=http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/highschool/03/31PrepHoops.html |title=Boys, girls All-Central Texas basketball teams |date=March 31, 2006 |work=Austin American-Statesman |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060526214057/http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/highschool/03/31PrepHoops.html |archive-date=May 26, 2006}}

In 2019, Collier led Bowie to its first regional tournament in 25 years.{{cite news |url=https://www.statesman.com/sports/20190228/golden-bowie-boys-hope-to-extend-playoff-run-under-longtime-coach-collier |title=Golden: Bowie boys hope to extend playoff run under longtime coach Collier |last=Golden |first=Cedric |date=February 28, 2019 |work=Austin American-Statesman |access-date=March 7, 2020}}