Cardinal Hall of Honor
Under the guidance of J.B. Higgins Jr. the Lamar athletic program grew from that of a small-time college to a “major” university in a short period of 10 years.
Higgins’ wily scheduling enabled Lamar University to become a “major” in football classification in 1975. During the period of 1963-73, Lamar athletic teams won or shared 18 conference championships and two NCAA College Division championships.
Higgins came to Lamar College in 1949 as line coach and became head football coach in 1953. He had a 10-year record of 59-38-4, but was 45-14-3 for the period of 1957 through 1962. Higgins’ 1957 team was undefeated with an 8-0-2 record and Lone Star Conference co-champions. His 1961 team went 8-2-1, winning the Tangerine Bowl. He was NCAA College Division Coach of the Year for Region VII in 1962.
