Is Higgs coming back?

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, May 3, 2006

EVERETT – Are Everett Hawks fans ready for the possible return of Albert Higgs?

Even though the 0-4 Hawks have named Chris Dixon as their new starting quarterback, they have also been in contact with Higgs, who led Everett to a 15-1 record in its single-season in the National Indoor Football League in 2005.

Higgs, who now plays for the Rapid City Flying Ace’s under former Everett coach Dan Maciejczak, is once again making the NIFL his personal playground.

The unbeaten Flying Aces (6-0) are averaging 79 points per game. Higgs has 1,285 yards passing. He has thrown 37 touchdown passes and six interceptions.

Higgs attended last Sunday’s game against Central Valley at the Everett Events Center. He declined to specify why he was there, but indicated past problems between himself and Everett owner Sam Adams are resolved.

“Sam and I are good,” said Higgs, who was also Everett’s offensive coordinator last season.

Asked what role he might play with the Hawks, Higgs was non-specific.

“I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes,” Higgs said. “If I came here I would just want to help the team any way I can.”

Higgs said he was intrigued earlier this year by the possibility of playing for the Stockton Lightning, an af2 expansion team which hosts Everett on Saturday. He ultimately passed on the opportunity, even though his Menlo Park home is less than two hours drive from Stockton.

At age 37, Higgs thinks he has many good seasons remaining as a player.

“I’ll play until I’m 45 as long as I’m healthy,” Higgs said.

On Tuesday Darrell Fisher, Everett’s director of football operations and player personnel, addressed the question of how Higgs would fit in, given that Dixon was just named the starting quarterback, replacing Julian Reese.

“It’s Albert,” Fisher said. “You make room for Albert.”

On Wednesday Fisher acknowledged the team was still interested in Higgs, but declined to comment further.

Reese, a former Indiana State standout, put up sparkling numbers at Amarillo last season, where Ricky Foggie, now the Hawks’ head coach, was the offensive coordinator. Reese struggled this season, particularly in the past two games, throwing four interceptions.

Foggie said on Tuesday he was not involved in the decision to name Dixon the starter, or to trade or release Reese.

Reese, who remains on the team’s inactive roster pending a trade or release, did not return a Wednesday telephone call seeking comment.

After three close losses, Everett suffered its worst defeat of the season against Central Valley, losing 60-41.

Amid speculation that Foggie’s status as coach might be in jeopardy, Fisher indicated Wednesday Foggie’s job was secure despite the team’s poor start.

Crazy legs Myers: With 35 seconds remaining in the first half of Sunday’s game against Central Valley, Everett’s Milton Myers took a high kickoff near the back wall of the end zone. He appeared to stumble momentarily, but then picked up speed to midfield and blew past several defenders and scored easily.

“I was trying to set my man up…I saw (a defender) coming, but he didn’t see me seeing him,” Myers said. “I was acting like I was going to make a move.

Sometimes people think I’m stumbling, but my legs are just kind of crazy.”

The defenders near midfield had little chance of preventing the 57-yard TD return.

“If you’re sitting stationary and both of your heels are on the turf, you’re pretty much dead in the water,” Myers said.