Wake adds Higgins to staff

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest University head football coach Dave Clawson announced today that Kevin Higgins, the head coach at The Citadel, will be joining the Demon Deacon coaching staff. Higgins will serve as the assistant head coach and will coach a yet to be determined position on offense.

"I am extremely excited that Kevin Higgins has accepted our offer to join our football staff at Wake Forest," said Clawson. "Kevin has wealth of football knowledge gained as a head coach and also through his experience in the NFL as a quarterbacks and wide receivers coach. He will be a great addition to our staff."

Higgins compiled a 99-83-1 record in 16 years as a head coach. He was the head coach for seven seasons at Lehigh from 1994-2000, leading the Mountain Hawks to 56-25-1 record and three appearances in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

In his final three seasons at Lehigh, Higgins posted a 34-4 record and won or shared three consecutive Patriot League titles. He led the Mountain Hawks to undefeated regular seasons in 1998 and 2000. Higgins was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 1995, 1998 and 2000.

In nine seasons at The Citadel, Higgins posted a 43-58 record. In 2012, he led the Bulldogs to a 7-4 record and was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year. Higgins took The Citadel to a top 10 national ranking in 2012, the first time the school had been ranked in the top 10 in 20 years. He ranks third all-time in wins at The Citadel.

A native of Emerson, NJ, Higgins began his collegiate coaching career in 1981 as an assistant at Gettysburg. After four years he became an assistant at Richmond before joining Lehigh as an assistant in 1988. After six seasons he was elevated to head coach and led Lehigh from 1994 through 2000.

Higgins became the quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions in 2001 and moved over to coach receivers in 2004 before joining The Citadel.

Clawson and Higgins were both assistant coaches at Lehigh in 1993. When Higgins was promoted to head coach for the 1994 season, he elevated Clawson to offensive coordinator from running backs coach.

Higgins and his wife, Kay, have three children: son Tim (wife Sarah), and daughters Meaghan (husband Jason Helms) and Katie Rose.