Mark Higgs

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This page is about the American football player. For the Australian cricketer of the same name, see Mark Higgs (cricketer).

Mark Higgs
Date of birth:	April 11, 1966 (1966-04-11) (age 42)
Place of birth:	Owensboro, Kentucky
Career information
Position(s):	Running back
Jersey №:	21, 22
College:	Kentucky
NFL Draft:	1988 / Round: 8 / Pick: 205
Organizations
As player:
1988 1989 1990-1994 1994-1995	Dallas Cowboys Philadelphia Eagles Miami Dolphins Arizona Cardinals
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Mark Deyon Higgs (born April 11, 1966 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is a former American football running back in the National Football League who led the Miami Dolphins in rushing from 1991-1993.

Though Higgs was constantly discouraged from playing football due to his size^[1] (5'7", 195 lbs), he went on to match - and even break - many of the rushing records at Owensboro (Senior) High School. Recruited to the University of Kentucky, Higgs earned the best average per rushing attempt (5.43), and became UK's third all-time rusher, ^[2] earning Higgs a spot in the University of Kentucky's Hall of Fame in 2005.^[3]

Higgs was drafted in the eighth round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he only played five games before departing to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 1989 season. He joined the Dolphins as a free agent prior to the 1990 season. Prior to the beginning of the 1991 season, Higgs was named the starter, replacing an injured Sammie Smith. Higgs remained the starter, even after Smith returned from his injury.

During the 1993 NFL season, Higgs was replaced as the team's starting running back by Terry Kirby, despite the fact that Higgs was leading the team in rushing for the third consecutive season, a feat that had only been matched in the past by Larry Czonka.^[4] After leaving the Dolphins, Higgs spent his last two years with the Arizona Cardinals. He retired following the 1995 season after a hit resulted in a back injury that kept him out of the season for 13 weeks.^[5]

Contents 1 Career highlights 1.1 Owensboro (Senior) High School, 1980-1983[6], [7] 1.2 University of Kentucky, 1984-1987[11] 1.3 Miami Dolphins 2 Life after football 3 Notes 4 External links

[edit] Career highlights

[edit] Owensboro (Senior) High School, 1980-1983^[6], ^[7]

• All-time leading rusher, (6,721)
• Yards rushing - season (2,858 in 1983)
• Most rushing touchdowns, career (75)
• Total touchdowns - career (75)

It should be noted that Higgs is one of three family members to hold top scoring records at Owensboro High School. Higgs is the younger brother of retired Cleveland Cavaliers/Denver Nuggets guard Kenny Higgs, who is the all-time leading scorer of the Red Devils' basketball team (1,833). ^[8] His cousin Dwight Higgs, a former Euroleague basketball guard and three time Division II All-American^[9] (Kentucky Wesleyan), holds the OHS record for most points scored in a single season (887), ^[10] and is the #7 overall scorer. Dwight's younger brother Bobby is also a top 20 career scorer at Owensboro High, ranking at #15.

[edit] University of Kentucky, 1984-1987^[11]

• #1 Best Average Per Rushing Attempt, Career (5.43)
• #3 Most Rushing Yards, Career (2,892)
• #9 Most All-Purpose Yardage (Career), 3,387
• Inducted into the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame in 2005

[edit] Miami Dolphins

• Leading rusher, 1991-1993^[12]
• #9 NFL leading rusher, 1992 (915)
• #8 Most 100 yard rushing Games (8)
• Longest blocked punt return for a TD (19 yards) ^[13]
• Only the second Dolphins player (out of three total) to lead in rushing for three consecutive seasons (after with Larry Czonka and before Karim Abdul- Jabbar^[14]

[edit] Life after football

Higgs began his own business, M and T Transportation, Inc, in 1998^[15]. He joined the Miami Dolphins Alumni Association’s advisory board in 2002,^[16], and is a frequent visitor to the Dolphins' radio show. ^[17] In 2007, he became the running backs coach for Miami Central High School.^[18]

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• ProFootballReference.com - Mark Higgs
• Miami Dolphins Media Guide

v • d • e Dallas Cowboys 1988 NFL Draft selections Michael Irvin • Ken Norton Jr. • Mark Hutson • Dave Widell • Scott Secules • Owen Howen • Mark Higgs • Brian Bedford • Billy Owens • Chad Hennings • Ben Hummell