Alfred Nash Higgins (February 29, 1896 – October 29, 1984) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

coach as well as

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

, the first in the history of the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...

. He later worked as superintendent of recreation for the Hillsborough County Defense Council and the county's school department athletic facilities planner.

Early years

Higgins attended

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...

Coaching career

Earlham

Higgins was an assistant under coach Ray B. Mowe at

Earlham College Earlham College is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quaker values such as integrity, a commitment to peace and social ...

Wabash

Higgins coached track and field at his alma mater. The 1923 track team tied for 11th place in the NCAA meet at Stagg Field.

Hillsborough High

Higgins coached at Hillsborough High School in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

in 1926, leading his team to the state championship. On the team were Jimmy Steele and Carlos Proctor. Proctor gave rival

St. Petersburg High School St. Petersburg High School, founded in 1898, is a secondary school located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school's current building, a historic landmark, was built in 1926. It was designed by Missouri architect William B. Ittner. It was listed ...

its only loss with a field goal.

Florida

Higgins came to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

after coaching football at Hillsborough. He was an assistant football coach, holding the title of chief football scout, and head track coach under

Charlie Bachman Charles William Bachman Jr. (December 1, 1892 – December 14, 1985) was an American college American football, football player and head coach. Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he played colleg ...

for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

. The 1928 Florida Gators football team led the nation in scoring. He was expected to follow Bachman as head coach, already recommended by the committee on athletics, when 26-year old

Dutch Stanley Dennis Keith Stanley Sr. (April 14, 1906 – May 29, 1983), nicknamed Dutch Stanley, was an American education professor, university administrator and intercollegiate sports coach. Stanley was a native of England, but graduated from high school i ...

was hired.

Tampa

After his time with the Gators, he was the first head coach and athletic director at the

. In a March 27, 1933 letter, offering the position of athletic director to Higgins, university president Frederic Spaulding wrote: "We particularly want anyone who accepts a position with us to feel enthusiastic about the school, and freely and wholeheartedly devote himself to its growth and improvement. We want men who are willing to give their best service unstintingly, and feel they are making an investment for the future." Higgins picked the school's colors of red, black, and gold; combining those of Hillsborough High (red and black) with

Plant High School H.B. Plant High School is a public high school located in the neighborhood of South Tampa in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1927 between South Himes Avenue on the east and Dale Mabry Highway on the west. The school is named in honor ...

(gold and black). His assistant while at Tampa was former fellow Gator assistant

Alvin Pierson Alvin Peter "Pix" Pierson (1898 – 1974) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Fresno State College—now known as California State University, Fresno—in 1945 and again in 1949, compiling a ...

. Tampa still holds the Nash Higgins Relays named in his honor. He was inducted into the Tampa Athletics Hall of Fame in 1962; and the NAIA Football Hall of Fame in 1959.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Nash 1896 births 1984 deaths Earlham Quakers football coaches Florida Gators track and field coaches Florida Gators football coaches High school football coaches in Florida Tampa Spartans football coaches Tampa Spartans athletic directors People from Joliet, Illinois Wabash College alumni Sportspeople from Tampa, Florida