Bob Higgins (American football)
Corning, New York, U.S. | |
Died | June 6, 1969 Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 75)
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Playing career | |
1914–1917 | Penn State |
1919 | Penn State |
1920–1921 | Canton Bulldogs |
Position(s) | West Virginia Wesleyan |
1925–1927 | Washington University |
1928–1929 | Penn State (assistant) |
1930–1948 | Penn State |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 123–83–16 |
Bowls | 1–0–1 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Awards | |
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College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1954 (profile) |
Robert A. Higgins (November 24, 1893 – June 6, 1969) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Pennsylvania State University, where he was a three-time All-America, and then with professionally with the Canton Bulldogs in 1920 and 1921. Higgins served as the head football coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College (1920, 1922–1924), Washington University in St. Louis (1925–1927), and Pennsylvania State University, compiling a career college football record of 123–83–16. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.
Playing career
Collegiate
Higgins played at
Professional
In 1920 and 1921, Higgins played end for the Canton Bulldogs of 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 Classic. 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
Family
Higgins was a brother of
Higgins' daughter Virginia ("Ginger") married All-American guard and fellow College Football Hall of Fame inductee Steve Suhey.[2] He is the maternal grandfather of Penn State standouts Paul Suhey and Larry Suhey and former Chicago Bears fullback, Matt Suhey. More recently, Paul's son, Kevin, and Matt's son, Joe, have played for the Nittany Lions. The Higgins-Suhey family has been called the "first family of Penn State football", with 90 years of involvement with the program.[2]
Head coaching record
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
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West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats (Independent) (1920)
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1920 | West Virginia Wesleyan | 4–4–1 | |||||||
West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats (Independent) (1922–1924)
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1922 | West Virginia Wesleyan | 8–2 | |||||||
1923 | West Virginia Wesleyan | 3–4–1 | |||||||
1924 | West Virginia Wesleyan | 9–2 | W Dixie Classic | ||||||
West Virginia Wesleyan: | 24–12–2 | ||||||||
Washington University Pikers/Bears (Missouri Valley Conference) (1925–1927) | |||||||||
1925 | Washington University | 2–5–1 | 1–4–1 | 9th | |||||
1926 | Washington University | 1–7 | 0–6 | 10th | |||||
1927 | Washington University | 5–2–2 | 2–2–1 | T–5th | |||||
Washington University: | 8–14–3 | 3–12–2 | |||||||
Penn State Nittany Lions (Independent) (1930–1948) | |||||||||
1930 | Penn State | 3–4–2 | |||||||
1931 | Penn State | 2–8 | |||||||
1932 | Penn State | 2–5 | |||||||
1933 | Penn State | 3–3–1 | |||||||
1934 | Penn State | 4–4 | |||||||
1935 | Penn State | 4–4 | |||||||
1936 | Penn State | 3–5 | |||||||
1937 | Penn State | 5–3 | |||||||
1938 | Penn State | 3–4–1 | |||||||
1939 | Penn State | 5–1–2 | |||||||
1940 | Penn State | 6–1–1 | |||||||
1941 | Penn State | 7–2 | |||||||
1942 | Penn State | 6–1–1 | 19 | ||||||
1943 | Penn State | 5–3–1 | |||||||
1944 | Penn State | 6–3 | |||||||
1945 | Penn State | 5–3 | |||||||
1946 | Penn State | 6–2 | |||||||
1947 | Penn State | 9–0–1 | T Cotton | 4 | |||||
1948 | Penn State | 7–1–1 | 18 | ||||||
Penn State: | 91–57–11 | ||||||||
Total: | 123–83–16 | ||||||||
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See also
References
- Toledo Blade. September 6, 1966. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- ^ a b "Ginger Suhey, Matriarch of Penn State First Family of Football, Dies". November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.