High School: Competed in football, basketball, and track and field at Amherst High School...three-year starter in football as a linebacker and tight end for head coach Ken Jacque...led team to a three-year record of 27-10...earned Western Massachusetts All-Scholastic honors and all-league laurels at linebacker and tight end...played in All-Gazette/Shriners All-Star game...recorded 100 tackles and had 500 reception yards as a senior...two-year letterwinner in track as a sprinter...lettered one year in basketball as a forward and led team to 18-7 record.
At Delaware: Fourth-year member of the squad and a two-year letterwinner at defensive end...former walk-on...has good quickness at the end position and will once again play a key role for the unit...effective at knocking down passes at the line...projected as No. 2 at right end behind senior Ronald Talley but will be used in passing situations...has appeared in 23 career games with 10 starts and has posted 47 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks in career...had two sacks and broke up a pass in spring game.
2007 Season: One of the team’s most improved players on the defensive side of the field...appeared in 14 games and started eight of them...led team to record of 11-4 and a berth in the FCS national title game under head coach K.C. Keeler...proved valuable as a replacement when Talley was hampered by an injury the second half of the season...started the final seven games of the season...ranked third among down linemen with 44 total tackles (24 solo) and also recorded 6.5 tackles for loss (32 yards), 3.5 sacks (27 yards), and one pass breakup...recorded a career-high seven tackles vs. James Madison and added six stop each vs. Monmouth and Richmond and five vs. Navy...had nine tackles in four post-season games...registered two tackles for loss vs. Monmouth and had one sack each vs. Monmouth, New Hampshire, and Southern Illinois.
2006 Season: Earned first letter as a part-time starter at defensive end...played in nine games and started two contests, the season opener vs. West Chester and the mid-season game at Northeastern...posted three tackles on the season, including two solo stops....had one sack for four yards (vs. West Chester) and registered two pass breakups - both vs. James Madison...had one tackle each vs. West Chester, James Madison, and Villanova...team went 5-6.
2005: Did not see game action and retained freshman eligibility...team went 6-5.
Personal: John F. Higginson...born July 27, 1987 in Chicago, IL...son of John Higginson and Joye Bowman...finance major at Delaware with a minor in economics...member of 2006 Atlantic 10 Academic Honor Roll squad...has two sisters...both parents are history professors at the University of Massachusetts...cousin, Bobby Starks, played college football as a wide receiver at Tennessee...grandfather, Henry Bowman, was a Big 10 Conference football referee in the 1960’s and 1970’s...has worked as an Upward Bound counselor during the summer...also worked as an intern at J.P. Morgan Bank this past summer.
| YEAR |
G/S |
Tackles (Solo) |
TFL |
Sacks |
PD |
Int. |
| 2007 |
14/8 |
44 (24) |
6.5-32 |
3.5-27 |
1 |
0 |
| 2006 |
9/2 |
3 (2) |
1.0-4 |
1.0-4 |
2 |
0 |
| Totals |
23/10 |
47 (26) |
7.5-36 |
4.5-31 |
3 |
0 |
|
