Tom Higgins (Canadian football)
| Calgary Colts | |
| Born: | July 13, 1954 DC) |
|---|---|
| 2023–present | Calgary Colts (DC) |
| As player | |
| 1976–1978 | Calgary Stampeders |
| 1979 | Buffalo Bills |
| 1980 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Awards | 2003 Annis Stukus Trophy 2005 Annis Stukus Trophy |
| Career stats | |
| |
Thomas Joseph John Higgins Jr. (born July 13, 1954) is the defensive coordinator for the Calgary Colts of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). He has previously served as the Director of Officiating for the Canadian Football League (CFL) and is a former Canadian and American football player, head coach, and general manager.
Early years
Higgins, the son of a former
Professional playing career
After graduating from college in 1976, Higgins attempted to enter the
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Higgins began coaching at the
In 1985, Higgins joined the Stampeders coaching staff, serving in many different capacities until becoming a head coach in 2001.Higgins became
In 2005, he returned to the Calgary Stampeders as head coach. He held this position for three years, making the playoffs in each. He was fired after a first round loss during the 2007 playoffs.
Higgins served as the Director of Officiating from April 2008 to December 2013.[3]
Higgins was hired as the new head coach of the Montreal Alouettes on February 24, 2014. He coached a historic 2014 football season starting 1–7, turning the team around to a 9-9 second-place finish, hosting a play off game and defeating the BC Lions.[4] On August 21, 2015, Alouettes ownership relieved Higgins of his coaching duties.[5]
Higgins was hired in early 2020 as the defensive coordinator of the University of Alberta Golden Bears.[6] After the 2020 season was cancelled, he coached for two seasons with the Golden Bears.
On April 1, 2023, it was announced that Higgins had been hired as the defensive coordinator for the Calgary Colts.[7]
CFL head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Result | |||
| EDM | 2001 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | 1st in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| EDM | 2002 | 13 | 5 | 0 | .722 | 1st in West Division | 1 | 1 | Lost 90th Grey Cup | |
| EDM | 2003 | 13 | 5 | 0 | .722 | 1st in West Division | 2 | 0 | Won 91st Grey Cup | |
| EDM | 2004 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| CGY | 2005 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 2nd in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| CGY | 2006 | 10 | 8 | 0 | .556 | 2nd in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| CGY | 2007 | 7 | 10 | 1 | .417 | 3rd in West Division | 0 | 1 | Lost in Division Semi-Finals | |
| MTL | 2014 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in East Division | 1 | 1 | Lost in Division Finals | |
| MTL | 2015 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 4th in East Division | 0 | 0 | Relieved of duties | |
| Total | 84 | 67 | 1 | .556 | 3 Division Championships |
4 | 7 | 1 Grey Cup | ||
Personal
Tom and his wife Sharon have three grown children, Holly, Hillary and Thomas.
References
- ^ Tom Higgins Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, database Football. Accessed November 14, 2007.
- ^ "Peter Connellan". cfhof.ca. Canadian Football Hall of Fame. 2012.
- ^ "Tom Higgins resigning as CFL director of officiating | CBC Sports".
- ^ "Higgins hired as new head coach of Alouettes". www.tsn.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02.
- ^ "Alouettes fire Higgins as Head Coach; GM Popp to take over". TSN. 21 August 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
- ^ "Former CFL head coach Tom Higgins hired by the University of Alberta". 3DownNation. February 12, 2020.
- ^ "Former CFL Coach Joins Colts". Canadian Junior Football League. April 1, 2023.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
