Recognizing Coach Bill Higdon

Floor Speech

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Mr. BURCHETT. Madam Speaker, I recognize my dear friend, Coach Bill Higdon, who is turning 80 years old this month.

Coach Higdon retired from the University of Tennessee in 2009 and was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame, something I will never be inducted into. Coach Higdon had a career at UT athletics that spanned 35 years.

Coach Higdon played basketball at Holston High School in east Tennessee and described himself as an ordinary basketball player. He wanted to pursue coaching and took the path that led into multiple sports.

Bill was a basketball graduate assistant at Western Kentucky University when they reached the Final Four. He went on to recruit for the UT football team. He was still working in an administrative role when the Volunteers played in the College World Series not once, not twice, but three times.

Bill loved his work as a recruiter, and he was great at it. He was named one of the top recruiting coordinators of the year under Coach Johnny Majors when Coach Majors returned to the University of Tennessee.

Happy birthday to Coach Higdon. His work at UT is legendary. He deserves a spot in the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.

Coach and Sue-Sue have an incredible life. They have two wonderful children and four grandchildren. On a very personal note, he was always so kind to my parents before they left this Earth, and he took care of us. Coach is a great man, and I love him.

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