Fever to Face NIFL Legend Higgs
June 1, 2006 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Tri-Cities Fever News Release
Kennewick, WA. 06/01/06. Rapid City Quarterback Albert Higgs is nothing short of a legend in the NIFL circles. He is 39 years old and insists he has six more years of football left in him as a player.
He has led a team to the Indoor Bowl National Championship game (Billings, 2002) and has been named the League's Offensive MVP (Everett, 2005). He has quarterbacked the Utah Warriors, Myrtle Beach Stingrays, Billings Outlaws, Everett Hawks, and now the Rapid City Flying Aces. In the last three seasons he is 32-4. Last season he led the Everett Hawks to a 15-0 record before the Fever upset them in Everett in the second round of the playoffs. He led the Rapid City Flying Aces to a 9-0 start this season before suffering a set back last week at Billings (10-1).
Higgs' has been able to stay on top of this game, his sixth season in the NIFL, for so long for several reasons. A couple of them are his off-season hobbies. He is an accomplished golfer and tennis player and gives lessons as a certified teaching professional. His golf handicap is 1. He starts his days with tennis in the morning, then after a mid-day round of golf, he will hit the tennis courts again where he feels his footwork improves for football.
So why continue to play football when you can leave the game and teach golf and tennis on the West Coast? Higgs was quoted last season as saying, "as long as I'm healthy and continue to have fun I'll play football. Age to me doesn't matter."
With over 15,000 passing yards in his six year NIFL career, Higgs would certainly be a first ballot Hall of Famer if the NIFL had such an honor. Fever Head Coach Dan Whitsett had this to say about the quarterback. "Albert is a professional in every aspect of the game. He is a guy that I would stand in line to pay money and watch play. He is very similar to Doug Coleman. We had three great games with him last season and Sunday will be no different."
The Flying Aces (9-1) are coming to town with a few other players on their roster that Fever fans may recognize. Former Fever receivers Mike Rigell and Sonte Wong are now members of the Flying Aces squad. They also have former Everett players Verna Owens (running back), Stacey Edwards (defensive back), and JR Wells (receiver). Coach Dan Majciejczak was also the head skipper for Everett last season. Stacey Edwards was a Pasco High School graduate. Defensive lineman Tomasi Kongaika played his college ball for Washington State University.
Tickets are available at the Toyota Center Box Office, or by calling TicketsWest at 1 (800) 325-SEAT. Tickets are selling fast so reserve your chance to see the FINAL regular season home game for the Fever!
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National Indoor Football League Stories from June 1, 2006
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