With his sturdy, 6-foot-3 inch frame, his perma-tan, light brown floppy hair and, most of all, his high-profile assignments — including six Final Fours and the 2013 NCAA championship game — John Higgins has become the most recognizable referee in college basketball. That is not always a good thing.
His familiarity to television viewers, combined with his penchant for calling technical fouls, have subjected him to considerable mockery and loathing.
Soon after he worked the epic triple-overtime game between Kansas and Oklahoma on Jan. 19, he received a threatening email at his business. He forwarded it to the FBI.