J.T. Higgins to Become A&M Men’s Golf Coach
Jun 05, 2001 | Men's Golf
June 05, 2001
University of New Mexico golf coach J.T. Higgins has agreed to become the men?™s golf coach at Texas A&M, Athletic Director Wally Groff said Tuesday. Higgins will replace Bob Ellis, who is retiring after 27 years.
"I am extremely pleased J.T. Higgins has accepted our offer to become the men?™s golf coach at Texas A&M," Groff said. "I think he will be a tremendous recruiter and an excellent fit for our program. He was the choice of our search committee and I had a good feel for him after our interview. I want to thank the search committee for doing such a thorough job. I was very pleased with the process and the number of great candidates who were presented to me, but the cream always rises to the top and I?™m convinced that is the case with J.T."
The 2001 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, Higgins served as New Mexico?™s head coach for the last four years, leading the Lobos to four NCAA regionals and two NCAA Championship appearances. Last season, the Lobos won a school-record three tournaments, including the Border Olympics hosted by A&M in Laredo in March. UNM also set school scoring records for 18 and 54 holes and finished the year ranked No. 17 nationally by Golfweek and the College Golf Foundation.
"J.T. will be a wonderful addition to the A&M community and athletic department in general and the golf program in particular," said Associate Athletic Director Mike Caruso, who chaired the search committee. "He has had a successful background in college golf and we look forward to him bringing that level of accomplishment to Texas A&M golf."
"I?™m thrilled to have the opportunity to be the men?™s golf coach at Texas A&M," Higgins said. "A&M has the potential to become one of the premier golf programs in the country. It is a great academic institution and is located in a great community. I can?™t wait to get started."
Higgins ?˜s UNM teams never finished below fourth at the conference championships and in 1998 won the NCAA West Regional. In 1998 and 2000, the Lobos advanced to the NCAA Championships. Three UNM players have earned All-America honors under Higgins ?˜s guidance and two have been named conference Freshman of the Year. In the classroom, four of Higgin?™s players have been named Academic All-America and 12 have earned academic all-conference honors. In May, UNM junior Wil Collins received the Ben Hogan Award, which recognizes the top student-athlete in college golf.
In 1999, Higgins coached the United States in the eighth annual World Junior Golf Team Championships in Japan. The Americans finished second, four strokes behind England.
Prior to arriving at UNM, Higgins served as assistant coach at Nevada-Las Vegas under legendary coach Dwaine Knight from 1991-97. UNLV won the national title in 1998, Higgins?™ first season at New Mexico, with many of the players he recruited. At UNLV, the Knight/Higgins duo achieved unparalleled success in their run together as the Rebels appeared in the NCAA Championships all seven years, including four top-10 finishes and a runner-up showing in 1996.
While at UNLV, Higgins served as the team?™s academic advisor and guided 19 of 20 Rebel linksters to graduation. He was also the Executive Director of the Rebel Golf Foundation, a booster club that raised over $3.1 million for the men?™s golf team alone. The total nearly allowed the program to endow itself. Higgins was all things to Rebel golf during his stay there. In addition to academic and fund-raising duties, he was in charge of accounting and team travel, and even served as a sports information assistant in 1990 before joining the coaching staff.
While in the SID office, Higgins served as the publicist for the No. 1-ranked UNLV men?™s basketball team, which advanced undefeated to the NCAA Final Four. Higgins began his career in sports publicity at Eastern Oregon State College in La Grande, Ore. A star basketball and baseball player for Eastern Oregon, Higgins was also the school?™s sports information director during his junior and senior years. He graduated EOSC in 1989 with a bachelor?™s degree in business administration and a specialization in economics.
Before working for UNLV, Higgins was the media relations director for the Las Vegas Stars, the AAA farm team of the San Diego Padres. With the Stars, Higgins designed the organization?™s first-ever media guide and helped orchestrate the local and national media coordination for the AAA All-Star game.
A native of Meridian, Idaho, Higgins has three children: Ashley, 14, Ben, 13, and Casey Lynn, 10.
"At A&M, we want to be a very dedicated and hard-working team and be competitive in every tournament we play," Higgins said. "If we can compete for the Big 12 championship, we?™ll have a great chance nationally. Our long range goal is to be competitive with the best teams in the country."
Higgins said the Jack Nicklaus-designed Traditions Golf and Country Club in Bryan, which will be the home of the A&M golf teams when it opens in the fall of 2002, will allow the A&M golf program to rise to new heights.
"The addition of Traditions will enable us to recruit the best players in Texas and will naturally be a great asset to the program," Higgins said. "It will be a quality facility that will benefit the golf team in many ways."
Ellis announced his retirement last August and a search committee was formed to research potential candidates. Four candidates were eventually interviewed on the A&M campus. Ellis, a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame, completed his 27th season in May.
"Coach Ellis will be a tough act to follow," Higgins said. "He is a legend in golf coaching circles and has done a fabulous job at A&M. The foundation he has laid makes it possible for the program to move forward. He?™s a great friend and I?™m glad he?™ll be around as a resource for our program."
"J.T. will do a fantastic job for Texas A&M," Ellis said. "I?™m excited for him and the golf program. I?™ll be the team?™s biggest fan and I hope they win a national championship every year."
The Higgins File
New Mexico
Named 2001 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year
Led UNM to its first-ever West Regional championship in 1998
UNM finished third at the WAC Championships in 1998 and 1999, second at the Mountain West Championships in 2000, and fourth in the MWC in 2001
Led UNM to four straight NCAA regionals and two NCAA Championship appearances
In four years, UNM has had 3 All-Americans, 12 Academic all-conference achievers and 12 All-District players.
In 2001, Wil Collins was named winner of the Ben Hogan Award recognizing the top student-athlete in college golf
Pre-UNM
UNLV Men's Golf Assistant Coach/ Academic Advisor 1991-97
Four NCAA top-10 finishes
1996 NCAA runner-up
Four Big West team titles
95% Graduation Rate as Academic Advisor
UNLV Sports Information Assistant, 1990-91
Las Vegas Stars Director of Public Relations, 1990
Graduated Eastern Oregon State College, 1989
