Robert Higginbotham

Robert Higginbotham is a retired high school football coach. Higginbotham's career spanned 36 years at three local schools, Mountain Brook High School (1973-1975), Shades Valley High School (1977-1998), and Tuscaloosa County High School (1999-2008). He amassed a career record of 273-129-3, including a state championship in 1975 with Mountain Brook.

Higginbotham graduated from Hueytown High School, where he played for his father, Morris. Higginbotham went on to the University of Alabama where he played for Bear Bryant. He was a graduate assistant for Bryant, then was an assistant coach at Etowah High under coach Jim Glover. In 1972 he worked with Shorty White at Banks High School, when the Jets won the state championship. The next year he was promoted to head coach at Mountain Brook, and within 3 seasons scored a state championship. During 22 years at Shades Valley, the Mounties won 11 area and regional titles as well as three undefeated regular seasons and two state runner-up titles. In 10 seasons at Tuscaloosa County, the Wildcats won 7 area championships and made the state playoffs every year.

Higginbotham was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. He joined his father who was enshrined in 1993, making them the first father-son pair in the hall of fame.

References

• Suttles, Aaron (December 17, 2008) "Tuscaloosa County football coach Robert Higginbotham retires." Tuscaloosa News