RIP former Charlotte Observer motorsports writer Tom Higgins

Sad to report that long-time Charlotte Observer motorsports and outdoors reporter Tom Higgins has died at age 80 from complications of a stroke. Great storyteller, better man. Proud to have called him a friend for the past 30 years. RIP.

Tom Higgins, legendary NASCAR writer for Charlotte Observer, dies at age 80

 

Never met him in person, but the stories heard secondhand - sometimes with the storyteller trying to tell it like Higgins did - are hilarious.

RIP, good sir.

 

It was not unusual for Higgins to have four or five bylines
in a single day’s newspaper — his personal record was 12.

 

The Biggest Man in Racin' - Joe Posnanski

 

No surprise, but that is one hell of a tribute column.

 

RIP Pappy …

 

When i was on the desk in Jacksonville, i always looked for Tom's stories when we weren't at a race. His were almost always the best on the wires.

 

Gerald Martin, Larry Woody, Tom Higgins, David Poole, Shav Glick, Mike Harris. Amazing amount of institutional knowledge about the beginnings and growth of the sport of stock-car racing, gone or retired. The Frances should be thankful those pioneers had hard cards and were experts at their craft. Too bad the current NASCAR media is much more interested in being one of the kids at the cool table.