Walter "Buzz" Highsmith (August 27, 1943) is an American former gridiron football player and coach. He played professionally in the American Football League (AFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), World Football League (WFL), and National Football League (NFL) as an offensive lineman. Highsmith served as the head football coach at Texas Southern University from 1989 to 1993, compiling a record of 19–34–2.
| Born: | (1943-08-27) August 27, 1943 (age 80) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Offensive line |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Weight | 238 lb (108 kg) |
| College | Florida A&M |
| High school | Roosevelt School (Lake Wales, Florida) |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1989–1993 | Texas Southern |
| As player | |
| 1968–1969 | Denver Broncos |
| 1970–1971 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 1972 | Houston Oilers |
| 1973 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 1974–1975 | Memphis Southmen |
| 1976–1977 | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Highsmith started his career with the Denver Broncos of the AFL, playing 23 games in two seasons. He next played with the Montreal Alouettes for two years and 22 games, winning the Grey Cup championship in 1970. He then headed to the Houston Oilers of the NFL, playing nine games in one season. Highsmith returned to the Montreal Alouettes in 1973, playing only one game. The Memphis Southmen of the new WFL called, and he played two seasons with them. He finished his career back in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts, playing 21 games over two years.[1]
Highsmith has also coached at Florida A&M University and for the Toronto Argonauts.
Highsmith is the father of former NFL player Alonzo Highsmith and uncle of former NFL player Ali Highsmith.[2]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Southern Tigers (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (1989–1993) | |||||||||
| 1989 | Texas Southern | 3–7—1 | 3–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1990 | Texas Southern | 4–7 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1991 | Texas Southern | 5–5–1 | 3–3–1 | T–4th | |||||
| 1992 | Texas Southern | 5–6 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1993 | Texas Southern | 2–9 | 1–6 | 7th | |||||
| Texas Southern: | 19–34–2 | 12–20–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 19–34–2 | ||||||||