Who Was BJ Higgins? Brian Joseph Higgins was an athlete with a soft spot for baseball.
Born in Ottawa in March of 1968, B.J. moved with his parents, Eddie and Lynn, to make a new home in what would become Forest Hills. B.J. attended Caldwell Road and Robert Kempt Turner schools and later Sir Robert Borden Junior High and Cole Harbour High. It was in Forest Hills that B.J. would leave his mark as a capable pitcher.
In 1981, the Forest Hills Minor Baseball Association began its first full year of operation; B.J. pitched for the Beaver A team and finished the regular season with an 8-0 won-lost record. His wins included a no-hitter, a pair of one-hitters and two games in which he struck out 17 batters. B.J. continued to shine in the playoffs. Forest Hills won the round-robin playoffs in four straight games. He pitched two of the wins, including the final, which Forest Hills won 1-0 on the strength of his home run. That same year B.J. pitched for the Dartmouth City Beaver A team that won the Nova Scotia Championship.
Tragedy struck the Higgins family in December of 1982, B.J. was diagnosed with cancer. Months of chemotherapy would follow at the IWK hospital. It was during that time that B.J.’s courage and strength of character became as obvious as his pitching talents.
The following spring, his parents asked doctors if B.J. would be able to play baseball again. They were told that playing wasn’t a problem but that it would not be at the same calibre. Appearing tired, pale and underweight, B.J. struggled during the first week of the season. What he didn’t have in strength he made up for in desire. In the beginning, he only played a few innings at a time, but after just one month he was returning to his old form. In July, he tossed a no-hitter against Westphal and began establishing himself as one of the Bantam A League’s top pitchers. In the playoffs, he pitched a pair of two-hit shutouts as Cole Harbour won the city title. B.J. continued to work through his treatments.
When the disease reappeared in December of 1985, it was obvious that doctors had exhausted all their options. B.J. entered hospital in April 1986. Doctors were convinced he would never leave there. As he had done so many times before during his three and a half years of treatment, he walked out of the hospital on his own strength. B.J. Higgins passed away on May 2, 1986, at home, surrounded by his family.
The BJ Higgins Award: The annual BJ Higgins Awards are not team MVP awards. They are given to a player on each Cole Harbour A team, in the opinion of the coaching staff, has demonstrated team spirit, proper attitude and, perseverance; qualities Brian Joseph Higgins displayed during his time playing baseball. Players who receive this award demonstrate the qualities in a baseball player that any coach would be proud to have on his team. CHMBA is very proud to give this award to players who demonstrate the type of qualities that keep our sport in proper perspective and represent the sport of baseball in our community in a positive manner, just as BJ Higgins did during his time with us.
PAST WINNERS
2023
U11A Red - Gavin Banfield
U11A Black - Nicholas Soubliere
U13A Red - Carter Keeping
U13A Black - Sullivan LaPointe
2022
U11A Logan Stanley
U11A Finley Marshall
U13A Jeremy Hopkins
U13A Lucas Feltmate
2021
U11A SILAS MULLINS
U11A JACOB BELLEFONTAINE
U13A ANTHONY CASAVECHIA
U13A LACHLAN ROSS
2020
U11 A Micheal Dewolfe
U13 A Brodie Hunter
U18 A Cameron Somers
2019
Mosquito A Ben Chaisson
Bantam A Owen McConnell
2018
MOSQUITO A AMARE QUILLAN
PEE WEE A JOSH PITTMAN
BANTAM A COLE HARDIMAN
2017
MOSQUITO A KYLE CHISHOLM
PEE WEE A GUS URQUHART
BANTAM A JAK HARTLING
MIDGET A BRANDON MACDONALD
2016
MOSQUITO NICK MURRAY
PEE WEE KEVIN HANDEREK
BANTAM DUNCAN MCLAUGHLIN
MIDGET JAKE RAMEY
2015
MOSQUITO KYLE KING
PEE WEE RYAN CROSS
BANTAM JOEL KING
MIDGET ALEX NEGUS
2014
MOSQUITO KEVIN HANDEREK
PEE WEE CAMERON BROWN
BANTAM SEAN HUBLEY
MIDGET CONNOR LONGAPHY
2013
MOSQUITO RYAN DOYLE
PEE WEE KYLE PENNEY
BANTAM SEAN ROSS HUBLEY
MIDGET JAKE SANFORD