Joe Collier was born on 7 June 1932 in Rock Island, Illinois, USA. He was married to Shirley Ann Ketelaar. He died on 6 May 2024 in Littleton, Colorado, USA.
After spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the Boston Patriots of the brand new AFL, he joined the Buffalo Bills in 1962 as a defensive coach. He was promoted to head coach in 1966.
