Former Four Year Starting Linfield Quarterback Brian Higgins (1995-98) had the experience of a football fans lifetime. Earlier this month Higgins participated in the Kurt Warner Ultimate Football Experience at the Arizona Cardinals Practice Facility in Tempe, Arizona on the weekend of March 5th and 6th. The UFE is a flag football tourney when a number of current and recent NFL players quarterback four-on-four flag football teams that are sponsored by various corporations and business groups. This is all in the name of charity as over $275,000 was raised for the Kurt Warner’s First Things First Foundation. Higgs (Since he’s one of WC11’s very close friends we’ll just go with his nickname) currently lives and works in the Minneapolis area but he was able to head to the desert to participate in this incredible weekend.Friday night of the UFE a family party was held to help determine the quarterback draft position for the flag tournament by team’s participating in various games such as Segway Racing. The NFL’ers on hand where: Anquan Boldin, Marshall Faulk, Larry Fitzgerald, Joe Flacco, Todd Heap, Chris Miller, Sean Morey, Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Michael Strahan and Kurt Warner. Higgs’ team picked in the middle and selected Baltimore WR stud Anquan Boldin (who did play QB at Florida State).
(Brian Higgins ('98) leaves a defender in the dust at the UFE)While Friday night was a great opportunity to mingle with some of the NFL elite, the main show was the next day as the UFE started with pool play to determine the seating for the tournament in the afternoon to play for the UFE championship. Higgs’ “Boldin” team represented well by utilizing a single play all afternoon to beat one UFE team after the next. The play was simply called “Get Open”. At the end of the day Higgs’ team was in the championship game but was unable to hold off a late rally and fell to Aaron Rodger’s team in the final moments.
In speaking with Brian, he said he had a chance to mingle and speak with a number of the NFL players on hand. In getting to spend the day with Anquan Boldin, Brian said he was very down the earth and just a fun guy to be around. Higgs also said that Kurt Warner might be the nicest and most authentic person he’s met and that his charity organization is 100% pure class. Overall, he said the pros on hand were just regular guys with a unique gift of being professional athletes.
WC11 has to say that I was EXTREMELY jealous of a weekend where Higgs was able to spend catching passes from a NFL stud WR and getting the chance to pick off some NFL quarterbacks. What football fan wouldn’t kill to do something like this?
So while media focuses in on negative stories about professional athletes (which is understandable) do know there are pros out there like Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Matt Ryan, ect, that are going above and beyond in trying to help the communities and the people they live with.
Pleasent Valley High School (Chico, Ca) Quarterback legends, Aaron Rogers and Brian Higgins
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