Bob Higgins (American football)

College coach infobox
Name = Robert A. Higgins


ImageWidth = 180
Caption = Bob Higgins
DateOfBirth = November 24, 1894
Birthplace = Corning, New York, US
DateOfDeath = death date and age|1969|06|6|1894|11|24
Deathplace = State College, PA, US
Sport = Football
College =
Title =
CurrentRecord =
OverallRecord = 123-83-16
Awards =
Championships =
CFbDWID = 1061
Player = y
Years = 1914-1916
Team = Penn State
Position = End
Coach = y
CoachYears = 1920, 1922-1924
1925-1927
1930-1948
CoachTeams = WV Wesleyan
Washington University
Penn State
FootballHOF = 1954
CollegeHOFID = 30144
BBallHOF =

Robert A. Higgins (November 24, 1894 in Corning, New York – June 6, 1969 in State College, Pennsylvania) was a professional American football player and coach.

Playing career

Collegiate

Higgins played at Penn State from 1914 to 1916, and was named an All-American in 1915. After spending World War I in the service, he returned to captain Penn State, earning All-America honors again in 1919. In a 20-0 victory over Pittsburgh that season, Higgins caught a pass from Walter Hess and turned it into a thrilling 92-yard touchdown and was immortalized in Knute Rockne's "Great Football Plays."

Professional

In 1920 and 1921, Higgins played end for the Canton Bulldogs of the American Professional Football Association, the precursor to the National Football League.

Coaching career

Higgins coached four seasons at West Virginia Wesleyan (1920, 1922-1924), and three seasons at Washington University in St. Louis. He returned to Penn State in 1928, first as an assistant coach, before becoming head coach in 1930. He served as head coach there for the next 19 seasons. He led the Nittany Lions to only the second unbeaten season in the school's history, culminating in a tie versus Southern Methodist University in the 1948 Cotton Bowl. It marked only the second time that Penn State had played in a bowl game.

Ill health forced Higgins' retirement after the 1948 season, but he remained at Penn State as a special assistant in the Physical Education Department until his retirement in November 1951. His overall coaching record was 123-83-16. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

Coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats
startyear = 1920, 1922
conf = no
endyear = 1924CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = West Virginia Wesleyan |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1920|overall =4-4-1CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = West Virginia Wesleyan |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1922|overall =8-2-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = West Virginia Wesleyan |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1923|overall =3-4-1CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = West Virginia Wesleyan |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1924|overall = 9-2-0
bowloutcome = W|bowlname = Dixie Classic CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = West Virginia Wesleyan
overall = 24-12-2
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Washington U. Bears
startyear = 1925
conf = no
endyear = 1927CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Washington U. |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1925|overall = 2-5-1CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Washington U. |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1926|overall = 1-7-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Washington U. |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1927|overall = 5-2-2CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Washington University
overall = 8-14-3
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Penn State Nittany Lions
startyear = 1930
conf = no
endyear = 1948CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1930|overall = 3-4-2CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1931|overall = 2-8-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1932|overall = 2-5-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1933|overall = 3-3-1CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1934|overall = 4-4-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1935|overall = 4-4-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1936|overall = 3-5-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1937|overall = 5-3-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1938|overall = 3-4-1CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1939|overall = 5-1-2CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1940|overall = 6-1-1CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1941|overall = 7-2-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = 19 |ranking2 = no
year = 1942|overall = 6-1-1CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1943|overall = 5-3-1CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1944|overall = 6-3-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1945|overall = 5-3-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = |ranking2 = no
year = 1946|overall = 6-2-0CFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = 4 |ranking2 = no
year = 1947|overall = 9-0-1
bowloutcome = T|bowlname = CottonCFB Yearly Record Entry |name = Penn State |conference = no |ranking = 18 |ranking2 = no
year = 1948|overall = 7-1-1CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Penn State
overall = 91-57-11
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 123-83-16
bcs = no
poll =
polltype = AP Poll
hiddencols = 5

Trivia

*Higgins was the brother of Margaret Sanger, famed campaigner for birth control, family planning and social reform.

*Higgins is the great grandfather, of current Penn State reserve quarterback Kevin Suhey, father-in-law of All-American guard and fellow College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Steve Suhey, and grandfather of Nittany Lion standouts Paul Suhey and Larry Suhey and former Chicago Bears fullback, Matt Suhey. The Higgins-Suhey family has been called the "first family" of Nittany Lion football, with 90 years of involvement with the Penn State football program.

* Higgins is also the great grandfather of Penn State football recruit Joe Suhey, the son of former Chicago Bears fullback Matt Suhey and cousin to Penn State reserve quarterback Kevin Suhey. Joe is currently in high school at the Loyola Academy near Chicago where his varsity basketball teammates are Jeff and Marcus Jordan, sons of NBA great, Michael Jordan. As of Feb 1, 2007, the Loyola Academy basketball team was 20-0 and ranked #22 in the nation by "USA Today".

ee also

*List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (coaches)
*Penn State Nittany Lions football under Bob Higgins

Notes

References

*cite web|title=Historical Reality National College Football Champions|last=Kirlin|first=Bob|url=http://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~dwilson/rsfc/history/kirlin/champs.html|accessdate=2007-03-05
*cite web|title=2006 Washington University in St. Louis Football Media Guide (part 2)|publisher=Washington University Sports Information Office|url=http://bearsports.wustl.edu/football/2006%20FBALL%20(51-92).pdf|accessdate=2007-03-05
*cite web|title=College Football Hall of Fame: Bob Higgins|publisher=College Football Hall of Fame|url=http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=30144|accessdate=2007-03-05
*cite web|title=Robert A. "Bob" Higgins Records by Year|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=1061|accessdate=2007-03-05