Alex Higgins

Who was Alex Higgins?

Alexander "Alex" Higgins was a Scottish footballer who played for Kilmarnock, Derby County, Nottingham Forest and the Scotland national team.

Higgins was born in Kilmarnock and began his career with Kilmarnock before joining English club Derby County in August 1888. Two years later he joined Nottingham Forest where he remained until 1894 before retiring.

He won his only Scotland cap while at Kilmarnock on 14 March 1885. Despite scoring a hat-trick in an 8–2 win over Ireland, he was never capped again for his country. James B. Niven of Chelsea also gained his only cap that in that game.

He died on 17 April 1920, the same day his first club Kilmarnock won the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history. His son, Alex Higgins, Jr., also a Scottish international, was a registered Kilmarnock player at this point, although he did not play in the final.