Higgins' Highlights:- Two-time NSIC Women's Golf Coach of the Year (2004, 2009)
- NSIC Women's Golf Champions (2008-09)
- Nine NCAA Regional appearances (7 women, 2 men)
- Two NCAA Division II Championships appearances (2 women)
- Six NCAA Regional individual qualifiers (3 women, 3 men)
- Two NCAA Division II Championships individual qualifier (2 women)
- Five-time NGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Award (Top-25 each time)
- Three-time top-ranked team GPA in NCAA Division II women's golf (2008-09, 2013-14, 2014-15)
Two-time NSIC Women’s Golf Coach of the Year Matt Higgins completed his 12th year at the helm of the women’s golf team at Concordia University in 2014-15. Higgins also took charge of the men’s team as they came onto campus in 2004-05. During his tenure at Concordia, he has guided both programs to championship contention.
Arriving on the Division II SceneHe guided the Golden Bear women's program to the NCAA Division II Championships for the second time in three years in 2010-11, placing in the nation's top-12 for a second time. The squad also finished second at the NCAA Central Regional Championships, which Concordia served as host institution at Hillcrest Golf Club in St. Paul.
He led the men's team to their second NCAA Regional appearance in 2011-12 becoming the first coach on campus to lead a men's team in any sport to multiple NCAA regional appearances.
The women have reached NCAA play in seven consecutive years while the men have were able to advance to NCAA competition in two times in a three year span. Additionally, the teams have produced individual NCAA qualifers consistently when the team has not advanced.
In 2009-10, Coach Higgins took both the men’s and women’s teams to the NCAA Central Regional Tournament. The women finished in fifth place, just seven strokes back of a bid to the NCAA Championships. For the men, this was the first trip in school history to regional play, and they became just the second male athletic program at Concordia to compete in an NCAA Regional (baseball, 2008).
Building strong Northern Sun programsFor the second time in his career, Higgins was named NSIC Women’s Coach of the Year in 2009. He earned his first NSIC Coach of the Year honor in 2004. Coach Higgins led the women’s team to its first NSIC Championship in school history (2008). Higgins then brought the lady golfers into their first NCAA Super Regional in program history. The Golden Bears earned a berth into the 2008 NCAA Tournament, for another first in school history under the direction of Higgins.
The men’s team continues to improve under his wing. He led the men’s team to a program best fourth-place finish three times at the NSIC championships (2007, 2012, 2013), just nine strokes out of second place in 2013 over the four round event. The team peaked with a second place finish at the 2013-14 NSIC Championships.
Well-rounded student-athletesUnder Higgins' watch, the women’s golf team has earned the WGCA (formerly NGCA) All-Scholar Team award five times since 2008-09. The team has produced the highest team grade point average three times since 2008-09 including two years in a row in 2013-14 & 2014-15 as the 2014-15 squad finished second among all NCAA divisions.
He has led six individual players into the NCAA Regional Tournament and two players to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Higgins has coached 22 All-NSIC women's golfers, eight All-NSIC men's golfers, three NSIC Newcomers of the Year and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
Off the course, Higgins and his team are active in the community with a regular team activity to Feed My Starving Children as well as a 2012 breast cancer awareness event "Tee Up for Cancer."
Off the CourseCoach Higgins served as the national chair of the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Committee from 2011-14. He also serves as a clinician at many golf camps and clinics throughout the summer.
A man of many endeavors, Higgins teaches in the kinesiology and continuing education departments at Concordia University, St. Paul. He has also worked in the Information and Technology (I.T.) department at CSP.
He has been with Concordia University since 1997. He resides in White Bear Lake, Minn. and has two daughters, Leah and Kellie.
