It’s been more than a decade since James Colzie played both football and baseball at Florida State, but Colzie is still actively involved in both sports.

The University of West Georgia defensive coordinator this fall enters his second season on Daryl Dickey’s staff, which is aiming to restore a winning mentality to the program, and Colzie is also a baseball and softball umpire with the ACC and SEC. He even finds time to do games for the Carroll County Parks and Recreation Department.

He still draws heavily on some of the most basic principles instilled in him during his time in the Seminoles’ football program. He said FSU coach Bobby Bowden’s emphasis on doing things the right way still has a strong impact on him.

“You’re expected a certain amount of professionalism, no matter what you do, whether it’s coaching, umpiring or just being a regular citizen,” Colzie said. “I think that, you know, being around coach Bowden and being around (FSU defensive coordinator Mickey) Andrews and my father, those are people that have guided me in the right direction, explained to me how I should be as a person.”

After finishing up at Florida State, where he was part of the 1993 national title team as a freshman and was an All-ACC defensive back his final two seasons, Colzie joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a year in the NFL and then played a year and a half of minor league baseball.

When he became a football assistant at Florida International in 1999, he started umpiring baseball and softball games as a way to make some extra money. He enjoyed it so much that he still calls games regularly in the offseason.

Though some of his more high-profile assignments as an umpire come in the ACC and SEC, he also recently worked the Dizzy Dean state tournaments hosted by the Carroll County Parks and Recreation Department. He certainly enjoys his role as an official in some of the most powerful college conferences in the country, but he finds it even more rewarding calling some of the youth games.

“I’ve been around these kids for a year, and you see them grow as kids. You see them grow as basketball or baseball players,” Colzie said. “So it’s a good thing.”

He also noted that being in the community in such a way has sparked conversations and hopefully will cause even more interest in UWG football.

“It’s good. It’s a way to generate some conversations,” Colzie said. “It’s a way to hopefully get some fans.”

Colzie aims to help children learn the game better through his style, but more than anything, he tries to stay out of the way.

“You try not to be seen,” Colzie said. “You just want to do your job and get off the field.”

Naturally, some ask the Wolves’ defensive coordinator how he can handle both his coaching responsibilities and umpiring. But fortunately for him, the seasons play out at different enough times to allow him to do a decent amount of both. But when a potential conflict arises, it’s an easy solution for Colzie.

“When it’s football season, even when it’s spring practice, that’s what I do. I mean, there’s nothing else,” Colzie said. “I have to give away a lot of games (umpiring).”

Having worked with the college conferences long enough, though, has given him an edge in being able to call games when he does have the time.

“If I’m off, they’ll get me in,” Colzie said.

And as Colzie enters his second season at the helm of West Georgia’s defense, he tries to pass on the lessons he learned from Bowden and Andrews. Mostly, those relate to pushing players to their limits to get them to perform at their best level possible.

“Those are things I try to portray to some of the guys that I have right now. You know, we just didn’t wake up on Saturday and play,” Colzie said. “We had to work Sunday through Friday to prepare ourselves to get ready to play.”

Dickey said Colzie’s approach is effective.

“He’s very thorough and very energetic and has a good rapport with the people he works with,” Dickey said.

Colzie has learned to be patient with his younger players as they come along, though he expects marked improvement this season.

“They took the lumps. They know what it’s like to work. They’re understanding what it’s like to work, so I expect a lot better than from last year,” Colzie said. “You’ve still got to play Valdosta State. You’ve still got to play North Alabama. You’ve still got to play Delta State. You know, we’re in the best conference in Division II.”

With the Wolves set to host their first game at University Stadium on Sept. 5 against Lambuth, Colzie is well aware that fans hope the new stadium is occupied by a team on the rise.

“I’ve been out there. The stadium looks great. We appreciate everything that’s been going on out there,” Colzie said. “Now we know (wins) must come.”

The coaching staff is continuing to build the program in that direction, and Colzie is optimistic about the season ahead.

“The product we put on the field’s got to be a lot better. We know that, as well. So we’re in the process of now getting to the next level, trying to build the team now, make the team better,” Colzie said. “And we’ll probably surprise some folks this year.”