Roger Higgins

      Roger A. Higgins, 76, Bismarck, died November 10, 2003 at his home. Services will be held at 12:00 Noon Thursday at the Church of St. Mary with the Rev. Bruce Krebs and Rev. Charlie Heidt officiating. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery with military rites by the VFW Post 1326.

       Visitation will be from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Wednesday at Eastgate Funeral Service. A vigil will be held at 7:30 PM Wednesday at the Church of St. Mary.

     Rog was born on March 19, 1927 in Fall River, Massachusetts, the son of Charles and Rose (Asselin) Higgins and was raised in Warren, Rhode Island. He was an outstanding prep athlete, captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams. He also was an all-state pitcher for both his Junior and Senior Years, and still holds the state strike-out record in Rhode Island. Rog signed with the Boston Red Sox right out of high school, where he pitched a month and a half in Roanoke, Virginia. He then served two years in the US Army. When released from the service, he began his nine year career playing professional baseball in Class C through AAA. He went to spring training with Detroit in 1954, and came to Bismarck in 1955 as the pitcher for the Bismarck Barons, where he played two seasons here, and played winter baseball in Panama. He completed his professional playing career in 1957 as the pitching coach, assistant manager and pitcher for the Las Vegas Wranglers in Nevada. He married Ramona Bosch, of Bismarck, on September 28th of that year.

     Rog began broadcasting in 1956, between baseball seasons, with KBOM. The next fall he became Sports Director at KXMB, where he stayed until March 1959. That summer, he took the head coaching job of the Bismarck American Legion Baseball team, where he coached three seasons, leading the team to the State Title in 1961. In the fall of 1959, he accepted a sales position with Meyer Broadcasting Company, KFYR. His first play by play broadcast was in 1961, and he was named Sports Director for both radio and television in 1964. Rog retired in 1989 from Meyer Broadcasting, but continued his love affair with state athletics by becoming the Voice of the University of Mary, Marauders, broadcasting play by play for football and basketball, while working for KLXX in Bismarck.

     Rog was honored many times as a broadcaster and for his contributions to the state and community and was a lifetime member of the American Legion and Elks Clubs. He was nominated as North Dakota Sportscaster of the year for many years, and was selected for the honor in 1971 and 1975. He received the 1971 Award of Merit by the ND High School Coaches Association. In 1989 the coaches presented him with its Special Recognition Award and the NDHSAA presented him a special award for many years of broadcasting ND high school activities. He was recognized by the State Trapshooting Association and by Golden Gloves Boxing for his coverage of their activities. He was honored by Bismarck State College and the University of Mary for his work with their sports? programs. In 1989 he was inducted into the North Dakota Legion Baseball Hall of Fame, and recognized by the Bismarck Quarterback Club. He was inducted into the University of Mary Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Warren, Rhode Island Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2002, he was awarded the Pioneer Award for ND Broadcasters and was again inducted into the Warren Hall of Fame as part of the honored baseball team. He was most recently honored in 2003 for his 500th Broadcast as the "Voice of the Marauders".

     He is survived by his wife, Ramona; two sons, Roger residing in the Balkans and Randy of Bismarck; and three daughters, Rosemary and Holly both of Minneapolis, MN and Bobbi of Fort Lauderdale, FL.