Higgins Leading CS Charter Football And Baseball Teams This Season

Mike Higgins is a very busy man lately, but he says he enjoys every minute of the long days.

In August, Higgins was tapped to be Coral Springs Charter’s athletic director and head baseball coach in addition to his role as dean of students and head football coach. Some would say that’s too much to handle, but Higgins is doing his best to juggle the new responsibilities as well as the old ones.

“I love it,” Higgins said. “I’m excited about it. What more exciting thing can you do than work with kids every day.”

Higgins came to Charter from American Heritage in 2001. He spent four years at Charter as football coach before taking a few years off. During part of that time, he had a stint as offensive coordinator at Archbishop McCarthy. When the football position opened up again two years ago at Charter, Higgins said he “was excited about that” and jumped on it. He had to take the last year off for health reasons and had been looking forward to coming back this year.

Another thing that excites Higgins is a new program he’s overseeing at the school that will help children with learning disabilities. The school will launch a Kinetic Learning Academy on Sept. 20. The goal is to help children learn while they use treadmills and stationary bikes.

“Kids learn better while moving rather than sitting at a desk,” said Higgins, who developed the program.

Initially, children in grades four and five will participate, and then the program will be expanded to older children.

Higgins will call on his team of assistants to run the kinetic learning program, just as he’s doing with the baseball program this fall as he concentrates on the football team, which he said is the priority now. The priority will shift to baseball in the spring, and Higgins will try to carry on the tradition Jerry Albert started before he left this summer to coach at Miami Belen Jesuit.

Higgins is counting on Steve Rogers, a longtime assistant coach at the school, to guide the baseball team through the fall. Woody Smith (who also is the kicking coach for the football team), Tom McRann, John Kerr and Troy Cameron also will serve as coaches in the baseball program.

“I couldn’t do it unless I have some great help,” Higgins said. “I have good coaches. It’s not anything I could do by myself. I really do feel like I have great help. With the transition, everyone is more than happy to step up and do some other things. I know the baseball team is in great hands. When I’m done with football, I’m all baseball. It’s doable. I’m really excited to have the type of opportunity to take on a challenge like that. It’s not a stressful situation. I’m excited to do it.”

Higgins joked that he “might see my wife a couple of times a year” and that he’ll “just have to take [her] on a few extra trips to make up for it. My wife is fantastic. She knows the deal. She knows what she married.”

Higgins said the tough part for him will be getting to see both teams play. At times, there will be an overlap. Last week was a case in point. On Monday, the football team was playing a game that was postponed from Friday, and the baseball team was due to play its first fall game. If that’s not enough, the baseball district scheduling meeting also was on tap that evening. Higgins said the plan was for Smith to drive to the football game, rather than travel with the team, and leave the game at 6 p.m. to go over to the scheduling meeting. Later this week, the football team again will be playing the same night as the baseball team.

Higgins is drawing support from his fellow coaches as well as his players, a few of whom play on both teams.

“I admire him,” Rogers said. “Taking on an AD’s position two weeks before school started and then baseball, he’s got his hands full.”

Rogers said he has accepted the responsibility to making sure the fall team works toward the overall goal for the year: “We’re thinking states all the way,” he said.

To that end, the immediate goal is to “play some good fall ball, get the kids toned and playing fundamentally sound and keep the tradition going,” Rogers said.

Rogers said he’s never coached on the same field with Higgins, but he said he keeps hearing good things about him.

“He’s definitely got the right frame of mind of keeping things the way it’s been,” Rogers said.
One of the players who will be counted on to help lead the baseball team in the spring as catcher is the football team’s quarterback, Joe McChrystal. The sophomore shares Rogers’ admiration of all Higgins has to do.

“He’s a good person for the role, and I think he’s a good coach and knows a lot and knows what he’s talking about,” McChrystal said. “He’s got your respect and makes sure no kids are messing around. He looks after you in school, and he’s always looking out for your best interest and looking to get your into a good college.”

McChrystal said he’s looking forward to the spring season and has confidence in Higgins to guide the team well as they compete in one of the toughest districts in the county.

“I trust he’ll do good and do good for the program,” he said. “We’ll have a good season or an even better one.”

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