Citadel’s Coach Higgins Highlights Upcoming Season

July 19, 2011: Our club had the pleasure of hosting guest speaker Kevin Higgins, the head football coach for The Citadel. Coach Higgins provided this update on the team, life at The Citadel and a peek of the upcoming season:

Coach Higgins talked to the club about the unique aspects of The Citadel’s program that includes the military regimen and rigorous time management disciplines required of all students. “Because The Citadel is not your traditional college environment…these kids have incredible demands on their time, and they really perform well.”

But, coach Higgins noted, recruitment for the college is difficult because of the regimented lifestyle and additional challenges. This year, The Citadel is granting 12 athletic scholarships, which is significant when compared to other regional schools: six for University of South Carolina, two each for Wofford and Furman, and one for Charleston Southern.

Both the football staff and The Citadel in general offer several initiatives to help boost student retention and success:

Incoming freshmen (knobs) enroll in the College Success Institute (CSI), which is a summer school program designed to orient new students to The Citadel customs. Students take two courses during their four week stay.

The Citadel assigns full-time faculty advisors who meet with students and faculty to be sure the student athletes are progressing well.

To build a stronger relationship with the corps of cadets and military staff, the football staff joins the corps of cadets for their morning formations at 7:00 a.m., where they can interact with students and the TAC officers.

The college hosts a “career night” that features representatives from businesses and other organizations who give cadets a clear vision of what awaits them in four years. “They hear from these leaders just how important the cadets’ development at The Citadel is and how well it will serve them for life,” said Higgins.

He also spoke of the commitment to service learning at The Citadel. For example, when the students return in early August, they will also spend time working in the community
on projects such as Habitat for Humanity on John’s Island and in West Ashley. “Those opportunities help strengthen the students’ understanding of service leadership,” said Higgins.

Spotlight on Academics
Finally, coach Higgins underscored the importance of the college’s emphasis on academic performance. Each year, football players are turning in stronger and stronger grades, several of whom make Dean’s List routinely.

“We hope you’ll come out this year and join us at the stadium,” Higgins, said. “We expect a good year; we have many players returning, and we have several strong new recruits.” Go Dawgs!

Career highlights: Kevin Higgins joined The Citadel as head coach in 2005. Previously, he served with the Detroit Lions, specializing in quarterback and wide receiver coaching, and he was the head coach for Lehigh University.

Submitted by Mark Danes, Keyway Committee