Bob Higgins (football player)
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
November 24, 1894 Corning, New York |
| Died | June 6, 1969 (aged 74) State College, Pennsylvania |
| Playing career | |
| 1914–1916, 1919 | Penn State |
| 1920–1921 | Canton Bulldogs |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1920, 1922–1924 | 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 | |
|
All-American, 1915 All-American, 1916 All-American, 1919 |
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College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1954 (profile) |
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Robert A. Higgins (November 24, 1894 – 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.
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."
In 1920 and 1921, Higgins played end for the Canton Bulldogs of the National Football League.
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.
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