Higginson chosen to lead Mount Vernon football program

By Dave Pearce

Brad Higginson

Timing is everything.

The Mount Vernon School Corporation needed a powerful leader and a good example for their football program. Brad Higginson needed to get back to the area so his 9-month-old daughter could be around family in the community where he grew up. Those two things came together on Monday evening.

During Monday evening’s Mount Vernon School Board meeting, the Metropolitan School Board of Mount Vernon voted unanimously to hire Higginson as the Wildcat’s new head football coach. Former Coach Justin Fischer resigned as the Wildcat skipper after last season.

Higginson, a Poseyville native and 2003 North Posey High School graduate, will come to Mount Vernon from Chattanooga Christian High School in Chattanooga, Tenn. Where he has served as a teacher, as well as a football and track coach. Formerly, he held a position as an assistant football coach at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn., where he spent five years with the program.

According to information provided from social media, Higginson had spent 12 seasons from 2009-2021, working at Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind., as an assistant football coach, as well. Before being elevated to defensive coordinator at Manchester, Higginson served as the defensive backs coach from 2009-2013 where he helped develop one BSN Second Team All-American player and eight All-Conference defensive backs in four seasons.

In total, he helped recruit and develop three NCAA All-Americans and 40 All-Conference players on the defensive side of the ball during his tenure. The Spartans had some of the best teams in school history while he was there with multiple 6-4 seasons and five players go on to set school records.

“It starts in the community but it is about the players,” Higginson said following the meeting. “We want to make sure they enjoy a good experience and that starts with the inside culture of the coaches in setting that tone. The players are the ones who have to execute and we have to make sure we build it around them. We want them visible in the community, too, where people will want to come out and watch them and get excited.”

Higginson is expecting to move back to Posey County with his wife, Sydney, and their nine-month-old daughter Stella.

“We’ve been together for five years and we recently had the baby and that’s the big reason we wanted to come back to Posey County so we could get closer to family and have our daughter be around family. That’s important to us and we are excited about it.”

According to former North Posey High School assistant and then head football coach Paul Rynkiewich, the Mount Vernon community is getting a good one. Higginson was a two-year starter at North Posey and played quarterback until an injury cost thwarted his junior season. He came back as a senior and had a successful career as a wide receiver for the Vikings. He was also an excellent defensive back.

Rynkiewich indicated that the seamless switch from quarterback to wide receiver spoke to the character and selflessness of Higginson.

“He was a team player and a great student of the game,” Rynkiewich said. “He was a starter at Kentucky Wesleyan.”

“He was an excellent coach at Manchester,” Rynkiewich continued. “We X and O’ d quite a bit with him when he assisted at Manchester. Brad is all football and works very hard at it. He loves the game.”

Higginson will officially take over the program the first day of practice but was in Mount Vernon on Monday evening to hear the announcement and meet with players both at the school board meeting and at the school on Tuesday morning.

“I’ll still be doing a lot from afar,” Higginson said without reservation. “I’ll be stepping into the gym and getting going the Tuesday after Memorial Day. But I’ll be able to zoom and with today’s technology, I’ll be able to work with them and get guys going and get the staff rolling on what my expectations are and what the team’s expectations are. I want to make sure we have the right guys leading our program and allow these kids to learn and grow from other great young men who are good examples.”

Speaking of examples, Higginson has plenty of praise for his high school head coach Joe Gengelbach.

“Playing for a guy like Joe Gengelbach, we obviously want to play hard-nosed football and we want to be able to attack on both sides of the ball,” Higginson explained. “We will be physical. As for offense and defense, we will have to find out the strengths of our kids and build from there. Obviously we are graduating a lot of talent but we need to take the opportunity to get to know our kids and learn who will be the key players and we will build around them and give them an opportunity to showcase their skills and put them in the best position. As coaches, it is out job to put them in the best positions and as players, it is their job to make the plays.”

Prior to Manchester, Higginson worked as a graduate assistant coach at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. During his time with the Golden Knights, he coached the Defensive Backs in 2007 and the Corners in 2008. While coaching the Golden Knights, Higginson had one PSAC-West All-Conference selection in the secondary.

“From my time in college football, there’s a whole lot that goes into the game of football,” Higginson continued. “There, you can recruit to your scheme and here, it is more about who you have and what does your scheme mean to them.”

Higginson was a four-year starter at Kentucky Wesleyan College at free safety. He was named a D2.com honorable mention All-American. He finished his career with the Panthers ranked sixth in Interceptions and seventh in Passes Defended. He holds the single-game record of 21 tackles against Campbellsville in 2003. Higginson also tallied five interceptions in 2004 which makes him 10th in single-season rankings. He completed his career with 171.5 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 10 total interceptions in a total of 39 games played. During his time with KWC, Higginson also competed for two years with the basketball program.

He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2007 and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Gannon University in 2009.

Higginson appears to be big on football, especially starting at the lower levels and everyone up and down the line being on the same page.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to any of the current coaches yet so that will happen in the next 24-48 hours up to a week,” he explained. “It will be just getting to know them and learn whose philosophies are what and do they mirror with mine. I want to be as straight-lined as possible from the high school to the jayvee to the junior high and to the lower levels. I want those third grade and fourth grade, fifth and sixth grade players all speaking the same language and using the same techniques. It may not be the exact same offense and defense but they are going to know how to tackle and tackle properly and using the same terminology. All that starts with me and we have to move down the line and get everyone on board and make sure we are doing it as a group and a team for the future but also for the now. Year one will set the tone for the years to follow. Building that structure right away and meeting with the team tomorrow and then meeting with the coaches and see who is going to go and who is going to stay. That is going to be on a timeline that is their timeline. I’m a pretty easy-going guy to work with and work for so it’s really just about whether they fit in to see in the big picture and the team and move on from there.”

Throughout his career, Higginson has coached and developed All-State, All-Region, and All-Star athletes while building a strong professional network through 15 years of membership in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

“I want to give back to the game that brought me so much as a person,” Higginson said. “Through football, I want to change the lives of the young men I coach.”