Rob Higgins: Gameday. Every Day. A Culture of Relentless Excellence and Family

By Joey Johnston

Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Sports Commission staff gathered to reflect on the organization’s two-decade sentimental journey while honoring their longtime executive director, Rob Higgins. He put in his final day of work before officially becoming USF’s CEO of Athletics.

Stories were told. Belly-laughs were abundant. Tears were shed.

And the site made perfect sense.

Higgins can be accurately described as a sports-event visionary, a creative marketing genius, a savvy businessman, a servant leader, a loyal friend, a faithful son, a doting father, and probably the Tampa Bay area’s ultimate relationship-builder. 

But did you know he’s also a pizza connoisseur?

For a man who has attended more rubber-chicken banquets, luncheons and dinners than most elected officials, Higgins long ago discovered his true culinary pleasure at the NONA Slice House in Safety Harbor. That’s where you’ll find his all-time favorite, the Detroit-style rectangular pan perfection, a thick crust that’s crispy and chewy, complete with caramelized cheese that’s topped to the edges.

His preference: Bring the heat. Well done.

Always well done for Mr. Higgins.

As usual, even when it comes to pizza, there’s no detail too small. Higgins ranks every pizza place he has ever visited — and there have been plenty — while keeping a running list on his phone. What’s more, the entire TBSC staff is part of a group chat, where they do pizza reviews and debate the merits of each establishment.

Pizza power rankings? What can you say about a workplace like that?

“I think culture starts at the top, and Rob’s leadership is inclusive and empowering,’’ TBSC vice president of events Claire Lessinger said. “But really, at the root of it, we have a ton of fun. That’s because we collaborate and we work together. Each other’s thought leadership is important. We spend a lot of hours together doing what we love. And that's the job.

“But while we’re together, we also spend a lot of time talking about our families that either aren’t with us or will be joining us as part of the ride. And so you truly feel like when you’re coming to work, it is an extension of the family you may have left at home. These people who we get to call co-workers are really friends and then, ultimately, family. We care for one another, work well together, respect each other and at the end of the day, we share common interests and common goals. We are just so fortunate that the culture within the walls of our organization truly feels like that every single day. That’s what Rob created.’’ 

The TBSC has attracted sporting events of all shapes and sizes — professional, college, and amateur — designed for economic and social impact. Visitors have filled the area’s hotels and restaurants while boosting tourism. That’s the mission. And it has largely been mission accomplished. 

Well-Established Success 

You remember Super Bowl LV, which was staged in the middle of a global pandemic, a logistical nightmare that somehow became one of Tampa Bay’s most triumphant undertakings. You enjoyed a record four NCAA Women’s Final Fours, each one a uniquely different experience and a raise-the-bar reflection of the game’s growth. You marveled at the audacity of staging the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Tampa — pure heresy for Tobacco Road traditionalists — then making it into an unforgettable event that swayed even the most ardent objectors.

The NCAA Frozen Four — college hockey’s signature event — visiting non-traditional Tampa a record three times? Check. The College Football Playoff’s championship game coming to town on sheer faith — against all odds, really — and producing a Clemson-Alabama thriller for the ages? Check. The Savannah Bananas baseball phenomenon performing in a 65,000-seat football stadium? Done. The National Hockey League’s Stadium Series — Lightning vs. Bruins — coming to the outdoor Raymond James Stadium (where snow isn’t in the forecast)? On the way in February.

There has been WrestleMania, NCAA Volleyball, SEC Men’s Basketball, the early rounds of NCAA Tournament basketball, the U.S. Gymnastics Championship and all the rest. That doesn’t account for all of the club and travel-ball tournaments — in heavy participation sports such as soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and softball — that have transformed Tampa Bay into an amateur-sports mega-destination.

Mix in the unmatched hospitality — whether it’s oranges and Gasparilla beads awaiting on the tarmac, marching bands and drumlines at the team hotels, boat cruises for the student-athletes, a team bus wrapped in the school’s logo, amenities galore, beach excursions, the world’s best sunsets, a game-day experience unlike any other and thank-you billboards strategically placed along the airport’s getaway route — and it’s no wonder that so many events have returned.

“I’d play the darn thing in Tampa every year if we could,’’ said UConn coach Geno Auriemma, an NCAA Women’s Final Four regular, who won his 12th national title last April in downtown Tampa. 

Along the way, so many athletes have a seed planted: “Tampa? I love this place. I’d like to live there someday.’’

“Show me another area that has done all of that,’’ said St. Petersburg attorney Jeff Adams, vice chairman of the TBSC’s Board of Directors. “Show me another sports commission like the one we have. Some of those other places have 40 to 50 people on staff. We have eight. But I’ll take our eight every day of the week and twice on Sunday.’’ 

Few people know about the all-nighters, such as the time that Higgins and his TBSC staffers sat on the floor to redo hundreds of incorrectly printed suite-holder tickets just hours before a prime-time event. Or the time that everyone went to Dick Vitale’s house in Lakewood Ranch for a pre-ACC Tournament social, but how the TBSC staff exited the late-night party bus and headed straight to the arena to smooth out on-court logos that were bubbling up. Or the crazy full sprint when the CFP’s national championship headed to Tampa, when many TBSC staffers worked every single day for nearly two months (taking off Christmas Day), holding post-midnight standup meetings, sometimes pulling out at 3 a.m.

“Because that’s what it took,’’ said Jason Aughey, the TBSC’s senior vice president of sports tourism. “In some cases, you work years in advance on things. Then you bring it to the finish line. And as Rob has taught us, you do whatever it takes.’’ 

The TBSC also routinely granted ridiculous wishes. If school officials asked for a last-minute party of 20 people at Bern’s Steak House, a call was made and the impressed out-of-town visitors were seated within the hour. If a Cinderella-team basketball coach wanted his “lucky jacket’’ to be dry-cleaned post-midnight, it was handed over and returned by the morning when a local business opened up just for that purpose.

“Those things are definitely not part of the bid proposal,’’ Adams said. “But they are part of what we do in Tampa Bay.’’

“Everybody can see the big stuff,’’ said Lanness Robinson, director of athletics for the Hillsborough County School District. “We’ve seen Rob Higgins talking to (NFL commissioner) Roger Goodell or (SEC commissioner) Greg Sankey and it’s cool that he can run in those circles. But Rob is also the guy who’s moving chairs or picking up trash at a youth sports event. This guy also gets things done when nobody is watching.’’ 

“When you see an entire community leaning into the hosting of sporting events like Tampa Bay does, that’s when you know you have a working CEO, not just a strategist,’’ said Eric Hart, president/CEO of the Tampa Sports Authority. “You don’t work for Rob. You work with Rob. I’m sure the members of his team would tell you that.’’

All In The Family 

So we asked those TBSC team members. 

Behind closed doors, what does a Rob Higgins-led organization actually look like?

“About a week out from a major event, we’d get a personal letter from Rob, not only reminding us what we’re doing, but what it all meant,’’ said Aughey, who joined the TBSC in 2005. “I have some of them framed.’’ 

On Aughey’s office wall is the note Higgins sent prior to the 2007 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament. It was entitled, “Success Is A Choice.’’ 

We have planned and prepared with a fine-tooth comb. Now it’s time to execute. Fifteen years ago, Tampa was laughed at when the possibility of the ACC Tournament was brought up. … The eyes of the world are upon us. You are about to host one of the biggest events in all sports. Every minor detail that has consumed your life related to this event over the recent months is now put into motion. You’re an integral part of a team that will be remembered for decades in this community as the team that took on Goliath — and won. … The ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament is going to be a spectacle that won’t soon be forgotten. Enjoy the journey. This is a moment we have all been waiting for. One week for the rest of our lives. It’s game time.

“That personifies what Rob is all about,’’ Aughey said. “He has been a consistent presence in my life and a guiding force. He’s such a passionate person, so charismatic. But his relentless drive to succeed, that’s what really sets him apart.’’

Tony Diaz, the TBSC’s director of sales and events since 2010, said he most enjoys accompanying Higgins to an event and watching him work the room.

“Whether it’s conference commissioners or different athletic directors, you see Rob making loops around the room, checking in, asking questions,’’ Diaz said. “He can adapt his personality to each of the different people so he makes a meaningful connection. The passion really translates. You can look him in the eye and see the fire. People trust him. They know they can rely on us to put on a great event.

“But it’s more than just a great event. It’s raising the bar — always. It’s having new ideas. He wants to know what went well and what didn’t. He wants to see improvement. That’s a big driver. We’re all running and operating in different directions, but his mind works in so many different ways and he can jump into our individual areas. The way his mind works is different from anybody else I’ve seen in my career.’’ 

In 2012, Lessinger was USF’s head volleyball coach. But she was at a career crossroads. And her mother had just been diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer.

“I was soul-searching,’’ Lessinger said. 

Out of the blue came a call from Higgins, her former USF co-worker. Lessinger had assisted the TBSC’s Local Organizing Committee for the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Championships, peeking behind the event-management curtain for the first time. She was intrigued.

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but Rob’s call was a pivotal life event for me,’’ Lessinger said. “It was an opportunity to take a leap. And I wouldn’t have taken that leap if I didn’t trust the person I was leaping toward.

“I pinch myself every day that I come to work, getting to do what I do with the people I get to do it with in the place where I do it. That all started with Rob. He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He showed me how to be a valuable teammate to this organization and help move our dreams and vision to help this community. Rob is always two steps ahead of everyone in strategic planning. He always has the right person, the right idea, the right next step, the right innovative solution. I don’t know if calling me was strategic on his end, but it changed my life and I’m eternally grateful.’’ 

Michael Farrant, the TBSC’s multimedia manager and director of marketing since 2012, said his go-to Rob Higgins story is especially meaningful because it’s personal. Farrant’s 8-year-old son, Lucas, attends Rampello Downtown Partnership Magnet School and often spends part of his afternoon at the TBSC workplace. 

“Rob allows my son to come in and he pours into him,’’ Farrant said. “He sets up his own little ‘Lucas Learning Zone.’ He talks to him. He finds out how his day is going. He plays football with him in the office. He finds out how he’s doing in school, how his baseball season is going. No matter how busy Rob is, he will literally spend 20 to 25 minutes with my son every single time he’s in the office.

“Every single time Lucas leaves the office, he always tells me, ‘I really love that Uncle Rob gets the chance to do that with me.’ It’s such a cool, unique experience for him. Rob has always been family-first. He always told me, ‘You get 18 summer vacations with your family. Don’t miss out. Don’t put work ahead of your family. I trust you to get your job done without it affecting who you are as a father.’

“I can’t tell you how much all of that has meant to me.’’

A Sense Of Childlike Wonder

There’s a logical reason why Higgins, 46, relates so well to kids. He never lost his own sense of childlike wonder.

“Rob has a youthful appearance, but he has always been mature beyond his years,’’ said Michael Kelly, the former USF vice president for athletics who resigned in June to become the U.S. Naval Academy’s athletic director, opening the door for Higgins’ hiring. “Even to this day, I think people are amazed at the level of experience that Rob has. Rob always had the inner confidence that allowed him to speak up in an appropriate manner, even behind the scenes at high-level meetings, from the earliest days of his career.

“But even as a mature young man, I think he appreciated sports like a kid would do, like a fan would do. Rob sees events from a fan perspective and challenges himself to make them appealing to the fans. He’s naturally curious. If something isn’t being done, he wants to know why. He knows this is the memory-making business and he understands how memorable and important sports can be to fans, especially kids.’’

That passion was evident early on.

For the longest time, Jack Higgins, Rob’s father, had unusual directions for anyone coming to the family’s North Tampa home.

“Look for the kids shooting baskets in the driveway.’’

That was young Rob Higgins, engulfed by sports, a 3-point bomber from the beginning. But he was also consumed by a love for people. He was a charmer, a careful listener, a quick study, a sponge for valuable information, and a guy smart enough to negotiate his way toward any desired goal.

At age 8, he became a ball-kid for USF men’s basketball. At 13, he wiggled toward the front of a swelling tennis crowd at the Harbour Island Athletic Club and got Andre Agassi’s autograph. At 17, he traveled with USF basketball as a team manager. At 19, he covered some high-school football for the Tampa Bay Times. At 21, he helped oversee USF’s athletic facilities and events (before receiving his bachelor's degree).

Higgins thought he might become a basketball coach. USF athletic director Paul Griffin immediately noticed the kid’s marketing mind, people skills, and non-stop work ethic. Nope, Griffin said. You were born to be a sports administrator.

“Rob has never ceased to amaze me,’’ his father said.

Higgins met his wife, Casey, while she was an ESPN Regional intern at USF and they recently celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary. They have two children — Laney, a volleyball player who is studying for her MBA at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, and Landon, a sophomore at Florida State University. 

“We are a family obsessed with sports,’’ said Casey Higgins, an assistant athletic director at Carrollwood Day School and an Arkansas native who played basketball at the University of Kansas. “If we’re not at a sporting event, we’re watching sports. It’s what we talk about at the dinner table. It’s who we are.’’

The Biggest Competition

Casey once believed she was hyper-competitive beyond compare — until she met her future husband. 

“He loves the speed of what he does, the chase, being on the run all the time,’’ she said. “Rob doesn’t have downtime, and he never slows down. He rises to the top when there’s a challenge, when somebody says he can’t do something. That’s where he excels and thrives. 

“You should see him playing Monopoly or Uno. He always wins. We even cheat and we still can’t beat him. He’s very, very strategic. He doesn’t like to lose. But you know what? I can still beat him at H-O-R-S-E.’’ 

Early on, Higgins challenged his wife to some one-on-one basketball game. It got a little physical inside the lane, and Higgins initiated the contact.

“He actually broke my foot,’’ Casey said with a laugh. “He didn’t want me to score. So he took me out. He will literally do anything to win.’’

From 2003-08, Casey was the head girls basketball coach at Academy of the Holy Names, winning 109 games in her five seasons and twice guiding the Jaguars to the state Final Four. Higgins, meanwhile, served as his wife’s volunteer assistant while also coaching AHN’s junior-varsity team.

“Rob took it very seriously,’’ she said. “He’d go to scout JV games 90 minutes away because he wasn’t going to lose. This is JV girls' basketball. And he’s going to scout opponents in Orlando as a volunteer assistant. I mean, how many guys would do that? No one will ever outwork him.’’

If Higgins isn’t working, his biggest hobby is pouring energy into the kids. Maybe they’ll drive to Tallahassee for a visit with Landon. Or they’ll head to Atlanta and watch Laney play volleyball. Even if Laney doesn’t get into the match, he’ll be content to watch warmups. He’s still there. 

“Our kids worship their father and look to him for everything,’’ Casey said. “That’s why last year was so tough.’’

The family faced its biggest challenge in 2024 when doctors found a 4-centimeter cancerous tumor in Higgins’ colon, then learned it had spread to his lymph nodes. Ironically, after his father had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, Higgins snapped to attention and scheduled his first colonoscopy, then got his own bad news.

Higgins underwent six weeks of radiation — five days a week — at Moffitt Cancer Center. His colleagues were understandably concerned. His family pulled in tight and got closer than ever. Sankey, in the middle of a busy SEC season, checked in regularly.

Higgins probably missed two weeks of work — maybe. If you didn’t know any better, it never seemed like he even slowed down. And now that Higgins and his father have been cleared with a clean bill of health, there’s still a lingering wonder.

How did they get through that crisis?

“This guy, Rob Higgins, he’s cut differently in terms of attention to detail and determination,’’ Aughey said. “He’s a winner. He wins.’’

“There is no one more resilient,’’ Diaz said.

“When you hear that C-word (cancer), it changes the way you view life,’’ Casey Higgins said. “We take nothing for granted now and appreciate every single thing we have. Rob is definitely tough. He never wants to lose. He viewed cancer as a battle he wasn’t going to lose. I think it was a matter of him actually living out those words he has always used to approach his job at the Sports Commission.’’

Gameday. Every Day.

Professionalism Personified

It became more than a catchy slogan.

Gameday. Every Day.

It was a mission statement brought to life. Polo shirts and jeans? The TBSC staff mostly wore suits and business attire to the office. While competitors lingered around the buffet line, organized staff flag-football outings and wasted time, the TBSC staff was there to make connections and get to work. Leonard Levy, the patriarch of Tampa Bay’s ambitious sports pursuits, often counseled Higgins and reminded him that the key was making meaningful relationships with the decision-makers. Higgins always took those words to heart.

Sometimes, that meant driving to Amelia Island so he could work the lobby and get face-time at an ACC event … then drive back to Tampa for a business meeting … then return to Amelia Island for more networking with the ACC. While Higgins attended CFP meetings in Atlanta last January, he boarded a 6 a.m. flight to Las Vegas so he could shake hands and personally witness Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami squad (which was headed to Tampa for a soccer exhibition) against Club America. Higgins then took a red-eye flight back to Atlanta, landing at 6 a.m., and he attended the Ohio State-Notre Dame championship game that night.

“Whatever it takes,’’ Lessinger said. “That’s the way we live in the sports-event business. We work really hard. But we also want to be unique and different, while mixing in the personal touch and using everyone’s special talents.’’

That’s the philosophy behind “Team Tampa Bay,’’ a Higgins-fueled concept that debuted in 2014.

Or #TeamTampaBay in the social-media age.

You can almost hear Higgins’ thought pattern, the way a kid can cut through the unnecessary clutter. It was a simple concept based on selflessness, teamwork and imagination.

Hey, what if everyone in town actually worked together? What if we pooled everyone’s talents and skills? What could we accomplish then?

If you attend a TBSC board meeting, it’s the who’s who of Tampa Bay sports. At the same table, you’ll find the Buccaneers, Rays, Lightning, Rowdies, Sun, USF, University of Tampa, other local sports entities, the Tampa Sports Authority, business leaders, politicians and hospitality officials … all working together for the greater good.

They are friends and colleagues. They root for each other. They pursue common projects.

“Rob brings us all together,’’ said Brian Ford, chief operating officer of the Bucs. “He’s our navigator. He’s our general.’’

“The level of coordination and attention to detail necessary to harness the power of sport and have us all working as one, it’s just amazing to me,’’ said Rafaela Amador Fink, chief public affairs and communications officer for the Rays. “What sets Rob apart is how he does it with such kindness and humility, while always seeking ways to have lasting impact in the community. You’d like to think all of us in sports know how to work as a team. Well, all great teams need a great coach. Rob is our coach.’’

“We didn’t have anything close to this level of synergy in the other markets where I’ve worked,’’ said Steve Griggs, the Lightning’s president and CEO. “With his contacts at the NCAA, the SEC, the ACC and so many others, he has put us on the map from a national and global perspective. He’s the driving force of creating an environment where we understand that collectively, as a whole, we have become a better city and a better sports destination by working together.’’ 

New Kid In Town

When Christina Unkel, an attorney and television commentator, became president and general manager of the Tampa Bay Sun FC, a fledgling women’s professional soccer franchise, she wasn’t sure where to turn.

“You come into town and you’ve got the Bucs, the Lightning, the Rays, these really big brands, and I don’t really know anyone in these spaces,’’ Unkel said. “Like, where do I go? How do I navigate it? Do I have friends? Do I have foes? Do I have allies? Do people think I’m just a cute little sister? 

“But there was Rob. He said, ‘Here’s who you speak with. Here are the connectors.’ That’s the mentality of Team Tampa Bay, with everyone bought in, everyone working together. It was refreshing. He helped to coordinate. He made the introductions. It just felt like family because of that.’’ 

It all comes together annually at the “Sneaker Soiree,’’ another Higgins brainchild that has become one of the year’s top social events. It’s attended by officials and athletes from all the franchises, teams and schools, plus business and political luminaries.

Everyone dresses up, but they’re asked to wear sneakers, spotlighting the event’s athletic mission. Awards are presented for the year’s milestones and career accomplishments. Inspirational stories of local athletes and citizens are also told, usually taking the audience on an emotional ride. It all makes for a can’t-miss evening.

Higgins serves as the event’s host and he’s downright hilarious, continually poking fun at himself and others while delighting everyone with theatrical twists and surprise special guests.

When Lightning coach Jon Cooper was invited to his first Sneaker Soiree, he thought he was being pranked. Sneakers? Really? He wore dress shoes. He intended to swing by quickly, see and be seen, then take his wife to dinner. Cooper was the only one in dress shoes. He was so taken by the event’s magnanimous proceedings and his new community’s persona that he hasn’t missed one since.

And now he wears sneakers every year.

“Rob’s impact has been tremendous,’’ said Bonnie Wise, Hillsborough County’s county administrator. “He has elevated our community. He gives credit freely and never takes the credit himself. We’re very hopeful about the future because he has built a great team and laid a great foundation. But obviously, we have some big sneakers to fill.’’

A Job Well Done

When Higgins made his decision on jumping to USF — after going through an interminable list of pros and cons — it was a difficult day because he first had to inform the TBSC staff. Adams, part of the decision-making team that hired a 25-year-old Higgins as TBSC executive director in 2004, instinctively knew he needed to swing by the office to address the shaken group.

“Today, we celebrate,’’ Adams announced. “Today, we celebrate all of our success and the team Rob has built.’’

Adams said he allayed fears of big changes or loss of jobs. The Sports Commission will continue on — and even bigger things are ahead.

“It obviously was very emotional,’’ Aughey said. “I mean, this is Rob’s life. He has given 21 years to the Sports Commission. The job has meant everything to him. So have the people. You build these unbelievable relationships when you’re working together in the foxhole. It’s almost like leaving family when you move on to something else.

“That being said, Rob has positioned all of us for great success. There will be a handful of announcements coming out in the next 60 days that will have his imprints all over them. That speaks volumes to his character. He could have transitioned to his new role and moved on. But he’s getting all of us up to speed on conversations he has had or deals he has brokered. I would expect no less from him. There’s nobody like Rob. There are so many great words you could use to describe him.’’

Here are a few:

“Rob is genuine,’’ said TBSC Board of Directors chairman Ben Milsom, a former Bucs’ executive. “In our business, there are people who do things for personal gain, money, title or ego. Rob isn’t like that. He remains calm and composed when there’s adversity. Those are winners, people you want to be around. It’s not easy in anyone’s life. It’s going to get hard. In tough times, you find out people’s true character.’’

“Rob is at the tip of the spear for everything we do,’’ said Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, the former Bucs’ great who is an executive vice president with the Vinik Sports Group. “I’ve seen him hyper-serious, where we’re negotiating tooth and nail and he’s not backing down. I’ve seen him not take himself too seriously, where he’s getting body-slammed at the Sneaker Soiree. I’ve seen him endure his very public battle with cancer. I’ve seen him humbled, where he has to reset and reassess a decision. I’ve been on a whole wheel of emotion with him, but it’s really a wheel of strength.’’ 

“There will never be another sports tourism head or chief as effective as Rob Higgins has been in Tampa Bay,’’ said former Lightning executive Bill Wickett, now with the Nashville Predators. “He’s entrepreneurial, innovative and hard-working. He’s tireless. He has no fear. He’s willing to be aggressive, but at the same time, he’s realistic. He’s a product of all his experience, all his relationships and what I’m sure was a very good upbringing with his family.’’

Higgins had the example of a focused, loving approach from his parents. His father worked with juvenile offenders, then shifted to real estate and a position with the Florida Lottery. His mother grew up on a farm in Pasco County, where she often awoke in the pre-dawn hours to milk cows before heading to classes at USF. She was a legal assistant for nearly a half-century. Both parents worked to establish the right values in Higgins and his older sister, Rebecca.

His mother, Imelda, was the real heroine. She often drove Higgins from Most Holy Redeemer or Jesuit High School to USF basketball practice, where he worked as a manager, then picked him up after dark.

She loved cooking her legendary lasagna dinners for Higgins and his buddies, a neighborhood group that stayed together. She broke out the good china and nice napkins, delighting in the maturation of the boys. Over time, the conversation shifted from sports to girls to the stock market. She watched them grow into men and responsible adults.

Nearly four years ago, while assembling holiday decorations at her church three days before Christmas, she didn’t feel right. She thought it was a really bad headache or maybe food poisoning. It was actually the beginning of a stroke, three months of care, then a peaceful end.

When the TBSC held big events the last few years, Higgins made sure to leave an empty seat near his family. Maybe these events were official sellouts. But in Higgins’ mind, they were always one person short of capacity.

Rob Higgins — who has walked with athletic kings while building a sterling reputation and being described as one of the world’s foremost marketing minds — will forever be a guy who just wanted to make his parents proud.

“We’re all so proud of him,’’ Aughey said. “We’re all drawn to him because he makes us feel special, like we’re part of something really impactful.’’

“We’ll move on just fine,’’ Hillsborough County commissioner Ken Hagan said. “But there won’t be another Rob Higgins. He broke the mold.’’

“Rob built a well-oiled machine,’’ said TBSC board member Joe Collier, president of Mainsail Lodging and Development. “His genuine enthusiasm always shines through. His resume is impeccable. Nobody has had the width and breadth of sporting events like we’ve had in Tampa Bay. And Rob made sure we all played a role. It’s a great story to tell.’’

It’s like a comfort food that hits you just right, something to savor. It’s a slice of something extremely rare, a series of magical events that have helped to write the Tampa Bay area’s sporting history, defining moments that will last. And it was all orchestrated by a selfless, hard-working TBSC crew that lived by one credo: A family that plays together, stays together. 

The whole thing sounds a lot like Rob Higgins’ standard pizza order. It might seem cheesy, but it’s true.

He always brought the heat.

Well done, sir.

Well done.