Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
Kevin Higgins
- Induction:
- 2023
The leader of Lehigh football's resurgence in the mid and late 1990s, Kevin Higgins spent seven seasons as head coach for the Brown and White and 13 seasons overall on the football coaching staff. Higgins won four Patriot League titles in his seven seasons as head coach and was on staff for the first five of Lehigh’s league-leading 12 Patriot League championships.
A three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, Higgins won his first title with the Mountain Hawks in 1995 and then capped his time at Lehigh with three-consecutive Patriot League crowns in 1998, 1999 and 2000. In his final three seasons leading the Brown and White, Higgins led Lehigh to a 34-4 record that included undefeated regular seasons and 12-game winning streaks in both 1998 and 2000.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to be included among those chosen in this Hall of Fame class,” Higgins said. “At Lehigh, I enjoyed the benefit of coaching at an excellent academic institution and working
with some of the finest players, coaches, and administrators in college sports. The memories our family shares of our time at Lehigh are among our most cherished.”
Higgins served as Lehigh’s offensive line coach in 1988 and spent the next five seasons as defensive coordinator under head coach Hank Small, with that stint capped by Lehigh’s first Patriot League football championship in 1993.
In 1994, Higgins took over as head coach and in his second season as head coach led Lehigh to an 8-3 record and a 5-0 league mark. Higgins went 6-1 against Lafayette with the first of those six consecutive wins coming in the famous 1995 thriller, as Lehigh overcame a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to win on Brian Klingerman’s one-handed catch in overtime and give the Mountain Hawks the Patriot League title.
Lehigh’s 1998 squad featured one of the nation’s top passing offenses and one of it’s top scoring defenses. The Mountain Hawks rolled to an 11-0 regular season and earned their first Division I-AA playoff berth of the Patriot League era. Matched up against No. 3 seed Richmond, Lehigh went on the road and defeated the favored Spiders 24-23 to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
The following year, Lehigh shared the Patriot League championship and returned to the playoffs behind a 10-2 campaign.
In 2000, Higgins’ Lehigh squad replicated the feat of the 1998 team, posting another 11-0 regular season, while winning its third straight Patriot League championship. Once again, the Mountain Hawks were sent on the road for the postseason. This time, at favored Western Illinois, the outcome was never in doubt. Lehigh rolled to a 37-7 victory, posting a 12-game in-season win streak and advancing to the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons.
Higgins’ student-athletes experiences success both on and off the field. He coached six Patriot League major award winners, eight Associated Press All-Americans and a pair of Academic All-Americans in Jason Mack and Nick Martucci. Defensive lineman Rich Owens and running back Rabih Abdullah spent significant time in the National Football League, while quarterback Phil Stambaugh spent time with a number of professional organizations.
“Lehigh offers an elite education. Whether it’s business, engineering, or arts and sciences, students who graduate from Lehigh will have many opportunities available to them,” Higgins said. “Lehigh teams also embody a strong work ethic, an understanding of the meaning of sacrifice, and they enjoy a special camaraderie unique to the university. Thirdly, Lehigh is comprised of a community of people willing to assist in the development of student-athletes.”
In 2001, Higgins left Lehigh for the Detroit Lions, where he spent three seasons as quarterbacks coach and a fourth coaching the wide receivers. The Emerson, N.J., native then moved on to the Citadel, where he spent nine seasons as head coach. In 2014, Higgins moved into the FBS ranks as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at Wake Forest. Following the 2022 season he moved into an off-field role at Wake Forest and currently serves as the Demon Deacons’ General Manager.
Higgins and his wife Kay have three adult children, son Tim and daughters Meaghan and Katie-Rose, all of who are married; and four grandchildren.
A three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, Higgins won his first title with the Mountain Hawks in 1995 and then capped his time at Lehigh with three-consecutive Patriot League crowns in 1998, 1999 and 2000. In his final three seasons leading the Brown and White, Higgins led Lehigh to a 34-4 record that included undefeated regular seasons and 12-game winning streaks in both 1998 and 2000.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to be included among those chosen in this Hall of Fame class,” Higgins said. “At Lehigh, I enjoyed the benefit of coaching at an excellent academic institution and working
with some of the finest players, coaches, and administrators in college sports. The memories our family shares of our time at Lehigh are among our most cherished.”
Higgins served as Lehigh’s offensive line coach in 1988 and spent the next five seasons as defensive coordinator under head coach Hank Small, with that stint capped by Lehigh’s first Patriot League football championship in 1993.
In 1994, Higgins took over as head coach and in his second season as head coach led Lehigh to an 8-3 record and a 5-0 league mark. Higgins went 6-1 against Lafayette with the first of those six consecutive wins coming in the famous 1995 thriller, as Lehigh overcame a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to win on Brian Klingerman’s one-handed catch in overtime and give the Mountain Hawks the Patriot League title.
Lehigh’s 1998 squad featured one of the nation’s top passing offenses and one of it’s top scoring defenses. The Mountain Hawks rolled to an 11-0 regular season and earned their first Division I-AA playoff berth of the Patriot League era. Matched up against No. 3 seed Richmond, Lehigh went on the road and defeated the favored Spiders 24-23 to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
The following year, Lehigh shared the Patriot League championship and returned to the playoffs behind a 10-2 campaign.
In 2000, Higgins’ Lehigh squad replicated the feat of the 1998 team, posting another 11-0 regular season, while winning its third straight Patriot League championship. Once again, the Mountain Hawks were sent on the road for the postseason. This time, at favored Western Illinois, the outcome was never in doubt. Lehigh rolled to a 37-7 victory, posting a 12-game in-season win streak and advancing to the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons.
Higgins’ student-athletes experiences success both on and off the field. He coached six Patriot League major award winners, eight Associated Press All-Americans and a pair of Academic All-Americans in Jason Mack and Nick Martucci. Defensive lineman Rich Owens and running back Rabih Abdullah spent significant time in the National Football League, while quarterback Phil Stambaugh spent time with a number of professional organizations.
“Lehigh offers an elite education. Whether it’s business, engineering, or arts and sciences, students who graduate from Lehigh will have many opportunities available to them,” Higgins said. “Lehigh teams also embody a strong work ethic, an understanding of the meaning of sacrifice, and they enjoy a special camaraderie unique to the university. Thirdly, Lehigh is comprised of a community of people willing to assist in the development of student-athletes.”
In 2001, Higgins left Lehigh for the Detroit Lions, where he spent three seasons as quarterbacks coach and a fourth coaching the wide receivers. The Emerson, N.J., native then moved on to the Citadel, where he spent nine seasons as head coach. In 2014, Higgins moved into the FBS ranks as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at Wake Forest. Following the 2022 season he moved into an off-field role at Wake Forest and currently serves as the Demon Deacons’ General Manager.
Higgins and his wife Kay have three adult children, son Tim and daughters Meaghan and Katie-Rose, all of who are married; and four grandchildren.
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