After a challenging season in which his team struggled to stay healthy, Village Academy coach Rod Huggins has stepped down as head coach of the school’s football program.
Huggins, an ex-FAU safety who was hired in February to replace longtime coach Don Hanna, finished 0-9 in his lone season with the Tigers.
Rod Huggins
Four of those losses came by forfeit, as Village Academy didn’t have enough players to take the field.
Huggins cited personal reasons for stepping aside, athletic director Christine Jiggins said in a statement Monday.
“Coach Huggins is an exceptional young man who took a program with only two remaining players and increased it to be able to compete in over half of a varsity season,” she said.
“Coach Huggins is a role model, and is dedicated to our student-athletes and the school.”
The Tigers started 0-4 this season, with their first three losses coming by shutout. But injuries began to mount, and Village Academy had to forfeit its Oct. 6 game against Hollywood-International School of Broward.
The Tigers returned to play Fort Pierce-John Carroll Catholic the following week, but did not take the field again.
The school announced Oct. 24 it would forfeit its final three games of the season – against Glades Day, Fort Lauderdale-University and Coconut Creek-North Broward Prep.
“Due to injuries and team depth, we need to be concerned for our remaining players’ safety and health,” Jiggins said then.
Village Academy finished 3-8 in Hannah’s final season, and advanced to the Class 2A regional semifinals.
