{{Short description|American football coach (1925–2011)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Morris Higginbotham | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|6|6}} | birth_place = Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|6|13|1925|6|6|mf=yes}} | death_place = McCalla, Alabama, U.S. | alma_mater = University of Alabama | coach_years1 = 1952 | coach_team1 = Walnut Grove HS (AL) | coach_years2 = 1953–1957 | coach_team2 = West Blocton HS (AL) | coach_years3 = 1958 | coach_team3 = B. B. Comer HS (AL) | coach_years4 = 1959–1961 | coach_team4 = Enterprise HS (AL) | coach_years5 = 1963–1966 | coach_team5 = Hueytown HS (AL) | coach_years6 = 1967–1969 | coach_team6 = Livingston | coach_years7 = 1970–1971 | coach_team7 = Scottsboro HS (AL) | coach_years8 = 1972–1975 | coach_team8 = Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL) | coach_years9 = 1978–1981 | coach_team9 = Hueytown HS (AL) | overall_record = 19–9–2 (college)<br>190–73–8 (high school) | bowl_record = 0–1 | tournament_record = | championships = | awards = | coaching_records = }} '''Morris Higginbotham''' (June 6, 1925 – June 13, 2011) was a football head coach for numerous Alabama high schools and at Livingston College (now the University of West Alabama) from 1952 through his retirement in 1981.
==Early life== Higginbotham was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1925. Between 1943 and 1946 he served in the United States Army Air Corps as a soldier in World War II. Upon his return, he earned his college from the University of Alabama and began his coaching career in 1952 at Walnut Grove High School.<ref name="Obituary">{{cite web |url=http://obits.al.com/obituaries/birmingham/obituary.aspx?n=morris-cullen-higginbotham&pid=151910161 |title=Morris Cullen Higginbotham |work=Obituaries & Guestbooks |publisher=AL.com |accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref>
==Coaching career==
===High school=== In 1952, Higginbotham began his coaching career at Walnut Grove High School, where he compiled a record of seven wins, two losses and one tie (7–2–1) during his lone season there.<ref name="AHSFHS">{{cite web |url=http://www.ahsfhs.org/coaches/coachestop.asp?Coach=Morris%20Higginbotham |title=Alabama High School Football Head Coaches: Morris Higginbotham |publisher=Alabama High School Football Historical Society |accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref> From 1953 to 1957 he led West Blocton High School to an overall record of 41 wins, six losses and two ties (41–6–2).<ref name="AHSFHS"/> His tenure there included three undefeated seasons and for his efforts the field bears his name.<ref name="Obituary2">{{cite news |title=AHSAA Hall of Famer Morris Higginbotham passes away at 86 |first=Jeff |last=Sentell |url=http://highschoolsports.al.com/news/article/-8153981594018301015/ahsaa-hall-of-famer-morris-higginbotham-passes-away-at-86/ |newspaper=The Birmingham News |date=June 13, 2011 |accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref> From West Blocton Higginbotham coached one year at B.B. Comer High School (5–4–1) before he started his three-year tenure at Enterprise High School, where he compiled an overall record of 27 wins, two losses and one tie (27–2–1).<ref name="AHSFHS"/> From Enterprise, he moved to Hueytown High School, where he compiled a record of 23 wins, 12 losses and three ties (23–12–3) during his first tenure at the school.<ref name="AHSFHS"/>
After a stint as head coach at Livingston College, Higginbotham returned to high school coaching at Scottsboro High School for two seasons (13–9) and then at Hewitt-Trussville High School from 1972 to 1975 where he compiled a record of 24 wins, 14 losses and one tie (24–14–1).<ref name="AHSFHS"/> He then concluded his coaching career with his second stint at Hueytown where he compiled a record of 15 wins, 24 losses and one tie (15–24–1) before his retirement after the 1981 season.<ref name="AHSFHS"/>
In 1993 Higginbotham was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of his career in coaching.<ref name="AHSAA">{{cite web |url=http://www.ahsaa.com/AHSAA/Information/AlabamaHighSchoolSportsHallOfFame/TheMembersByClass/HallofFame1993/tabid/1894/Default.aspx |title=Hall of Fame – 1993 |publisher=Alabama High School Sports Association |accessdate=November 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723073558/http://www.ahsaa.com/AHSAA/Information/AlabamaHighSchoolSportsHallOfFame/TheMembersByClass/HallofFame1993/tabid/1894/Default.aspx |archivedate=July 23, 2011 }}</ref> In his 27 years as a high school head coach, he compiled an overall record of 190 wins, 73 losses and eight ties (190–73–8) and five state football championships.<ref name="AHSAA"/>
===College=== In February 1967, Livingston officials announced the hiring of Higginbotham as the Tigers' new head coach.<ref name="Hire">{{cite news |title=Optimism is LSC keynote |first=Roy |last=Bain |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LSUeAAAAIBAJ&dq=morris-higginbotham%20livingston&pg=5778%2C218341 |newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News |page=8 |date=February 2, 1967 |accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref> In his second season, Higginbotham led Livingston to an appearance in the inaugural Peanut Bowl at Dothan, but lost to Ouachita Baptist University 39–6 in the game.<ref name="Peanut">{{cite news |title=Livingston falls in Peanut Bowl |agency=Associated Press |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wP0cAAAAIBAJ&pg=2275%2C5777114 |newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News |page=14 |date=December 22, 1968 |accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref> Following the 1969 season he returned to coach high school football at Scottsboro High School with Mickey Andrews serving as his replacement at Livingston.<ref name="Leave">{{cite news |title=Early tilts key to Tigers fame? |first=Stan |last=Voit |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ogcdAAAAIBAJ&dq=morris-higginbotham%20livingston&pg=6012%2C5871775 |newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News |page=31 |date=August 30, 1970 |accessdate=November 26, 2011}}</ref> For his career at Livingston, Higginbotham compiled a record of 19 wins, nine losses and two ties (19–9–2).
==Head coaching record== ===College=== {{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Livingston Tigers | conf = Alabama Collegiate Conference | startyear = 1967 | endyear = 1969 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1967 | name = Livingston | overall = 4–5–1 | conference = 0–2–1 | confstanding = 4th | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1968 | name = Livingston | overall = 9–2 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = Peanut Bowl | bowloutcome = L | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1969 | name = Livingston | overall = 6–2–1 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Livingston | overall = 19–9–2 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record End | overall = 19–9–2 | bowls = no | poll = no | polltype = | legend = no }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{West Alabama Tigers football coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higginbotham, Morris}} Category:1925 births Category:2011 deaths Category:West Alabama Tigers football coaches Category:High school football coaches in Alabama Category:United States Army personnel of World War II Category:United States Army Air Forces soldiers Category:University of Alabama alumni Category:Sports coaches from Birmingham, Alabama