Enshrined: Still Hollywood, Through and Through
Higgins looking forward to next chapter
Mike Brohard
He brought the nickname Hollywood with him to Fort Collins. He wasn’t a diva, but as the monicker would suggest, he never shied away from the spotlight. The way he played, it found him.
But what most remember most about him was the star quality he possessed because of his outgoing personality. Even to this day, the trademark smile and laugh can fill a room and draw people to him.
That’s Hollywood, and he hopes to never change.
“Man, I’m still Hollywood. I’m going to stay Hollywood,” he said. “That will never change. I felt like I left my mark, left my legacy and did what I set out to do, what I told myself I wanted to do. I believed in God the whole time and look where it got me. That kid who came to Colorado State didn’t know how to wash his own clothes. Now I’m in the Hall of Fame with a career that lasted seven years in the NFL. That’s definitely Hollywood in my eyes.”
Higgins is part of a five-member class which will be inducted Oct. 11, part of the Ram Good Time Gala and the Ram Good Time Weekend. The Gala, which will also include the Ram Good Time Auction, begins at 5 p.m., with registration currently open for the event. The following day, the inductees will take part in the Ram Legends tailgate with President Amy Parsons and Director of Athletics John Weber before being introduced to the Canvas Stadium crowd as the football team hosts San Jose State (1:30 p.m. kickoff).
He earned every bit of his induction as he still remains the school’s career leader with 239 receptions, 3,649 yards and 31 touchdown catches and is the only Ram to haul in four scoring catches in a game. A consensus All-American in 2014, he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award before becoming a fifth-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns, where he spent the majority of his career.
Now he’s having a blast figuring out what’s next. Most of what he undertakes is finding the simple joys in life.
Such as doing work around the home.
“I am excited. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for me,” Higgins said. “This is also something Jarvis Landry and Michael Gallup and I were talking about. The free time we get now, after being so used to being busy, it’s like what do we do next? I bought myself a zero-turn lawn mower and I’m cutting my own grass. I used to have somebody do it. When it’s not hot, I love it. I’m putting some nice swirls in the yard. I have an acre lot, so it only takes about 30 minutes. I do enjoy it.”
The best part is the family time with his wife, Brianna, and their three children – Sevin (2), Saynt (1) and Sincere, who will celebrate his first birthday in June. For them, Higgins is learning to be the grill master. For them, he’s pouring his heart and soul into what they’re pursuing.
Where their paths go, he is excited to follow.
“Honestly, I’m getting to dedicate all my time to them now. When I was in the NFL, I felt like I wasn’t giving my kids their time first,” he said. “I was always busy. Being in the NFL is a fulltime job. I wake up at 6 a.m., gone by 6:30 a.m. and my wife and kids wouldn’t see me until 6:30 at night. It was exhausting, but I knew what I wanted out of my career.
“Now, I feel like I have something more important, giving my time to my kids. Sevin’s at the age where he’s starting to get started in sports. We do swim lessons right now. We play baseball, we go to the park, we play football, basketball, we do it all. It’s fun to see how something small can make a child happy, and that brightens up my day.”
Make somebody smile, make somebody laugh; I love cracking jokes. Energy is contagious.Rashard Higgins
Of course it does because Higgins was always a kid at heart. His natural zest for life made him a fan favorite. It endeared him to his teammates and coaches, as well, but they were more appreciative of his competitive side.
No one worked harder than did Higgins.
“Look, it’s affecting the people around you in a positive way. He did that every day,” former CSU coach Jim McElwain, now at Central Michigan, said. “He was one of those guys who loved to practice and enjoyed the game, enjoyed the process and took full advantage of it. Alvis (Whitted, the CSU receivers coach at the time) did a tremendous job in developing him, and I think about some of the explosive plays he was able to make. It’s fun to have those kind of guys on your team.
“You don’t mind a self-promotor if they’re putting in the work. You couldn’t deny it. He came to work every day, and by doing that, he helped the guys around him. I think that’s what made him so special. Obviously, he was very talented, and he had a really good core group of players around him at that time. Those were some pretty good teams.”
One of them was quarterback Garrett Grayson, the two forming a connection which has gone unsurpassed in the program.
The fact they go into the Hall together feels symbiotic.
“Absolutely. The reason I say that is he was the quarterback who really got me there,” Higgins said. “He got me to the point where I made it to the NFL, I made a name for myself. My first year was a year of growth. After that, we put more time into it and things just popped. It shows where two guys on the same page, if they’re clicking, it can take you a long way. It took us to the NFL.”
When Higgins received the call about his induction, he was alone, but he was thrilled. He immediately called his wife, and he believes she was more excited than he was. He was recently retired, and the news brought back a flood of memories.
Chief among them was the school which gave him a chance. Colorado State was a place which believed in him, and before long, he was believing in himself.
Which is why he remains as positive today as he’s ever been. Expecting something good around the corner is a much more pleasant way to approach life.
“It's finding the good in everything you go to. You go through tough times, but tough times don’t last forever,” Higgins said. “Just smile. You never know how someone’s day is, and just smiling, giving off a little different energy, you never know how far it can take you. Make somebody smile, make somebody laugh; I love cracking jokes. Energy is contagious.”
Hollywood – the person as much as the persona -- always was.
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