There is history in all men’s lives

If you have a student at Wimberley High School or have listened to Coach Dick Smith’s ‘Over Easy’ on KWVH, you are aware of Brad Biggers and his love of history. He teaches AP History, and he is also the expert on “Biggers Moment in History” on the radio examining an era in history from a wide angle.

Biggers covers a time period and world events happening during that time period in the U.S. during Coach’s Thursday morning show. In addition, he has his own radio show hosting university professors and other experts on history.

Biggers makes history interesting, whether in person or on the radio. Although he was born in Arlington, Texas, he spent part of his life in Amarillo. It was then back to Arlington to graduate from high school and off to college at the University of Texas. Brad and his wife Tracy, also a teacher but at Jacob’s Well Elementary, have two grown children.

“When I graduated, I thought I was going to be a high school teacher, and I did the first part of my student teaching. But then I was working as a teacher at Sylvan Learning Center,” Brad Biggers said. At 22 years old he was offered the Director’s position and stayed three years. “But I was never using history.”

Next, he changed paths and decided the path of God was the way. “I was in a Methodist seminary, the Perkins School of Theology out of SMU, and that was when it really hit me. I really love history and learning all about early Christianity, the early church, and it lit this fire in me… I loved grad school, even more than undergrad because you’re older, wiser and more focused on learning.” Once again, there came a

Once again, there came a turn in the road.

“I ended up changing paths again at 36 and becoming a high school teacher. And then I moved to Wimberley. This was the first school that offered me a job... I was also willing to coach cross-country and soccer.” Mentored by good teachers, he dove in headfirst.

“I was teaching pre AP World Geography, and learned that pretty much. I never had a class in it, but I was teaching it.” Having no experience in coaching soccer, he left Wimberley to be an assistant at a high school in Katy. It is a much bigger school and gave him the opportunity to learn to coach soccer. He was an assistant coach for two years.

“We got to go to State (in soccer.) It was 5A, big schools. But while we were there, it was also like, do we want our kids to grow up in this giant environment? At this huge school? Both my wife and I missed Wimberley pretty badly. We bounced back and luckily enough, got my job back here.”

He just received his Master’s in History from Texas State last May. “I was kind of transitioning out of coaching, and wanted to keep doing more academic stuff. So I became department head when Coach Lake retired. I took over that and also took over the UIL social studies and current events.” But soon there was more to do.

“I also wanted to teach the dual credit classes, which we have with Austin Community College, but you have to have your masters in order to teach. So that was another reason to go back, and I also just truly do love learning history... I wanted to do it at that graduate level. So three and a half years later, I’m done and here we are.”

Teaching mostly sophomores and juniors in the classroom, he still mentors all grades in UIL Social Studies Events. But teaching history and making it come to life made radio a perfect calling.

He also had some history himself with Coach Smith, who Biggers became friends at the high school while they were both coaching sports. When Smith retired and got a show on KWVH, he remembered he would ask Biggers the answers to questions he didn’t know at faculty meetings. Coach liked trivia games on his phone and not faculty meetings. Then, after retirement he remembered Biggers’ History trivia answers. He asked Biggers to come on the show and do a segment on cross-country. Next, he was asked to do a segment on history.

“And I just didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being a pretty fun thing. I started looking forward to it. And we would have fun doing it. You know, our little tagline was always stamping out ignorance, one episode at a time.”

Coach continued, “‘Why don’t you just tell us what you’re teaching students in class? So whatever you’re covering that week, come in and give us the highlights.’ And that became AP US history, a little radio segment.” The segment became popular, and there was an audience for it. Biggers then got another idea.

“What if we did a show where I interviewed historians that I know from my experience at Texas State, but what if I just asked them questions, historian to historian, about their expertise. We have all these in our own backyard at Texas State. “The station agreed. We started recording in June. Dr. Coleman was my first four episodes. She’s an immigration historian at Texas State. We did four episodes with her. Now we’re running the Dr. Murphy episodes about the antebellum period after the Civil War, sectionalism abolition and Fugitive Slave law.” Other historians are lined up.

“I’ve got to read a book on top of other work, and then get ready to do an interview with somebody and not sound like an idiot, of course, and make it hopefully enjoyable for the listeners.”

It is on KWVH 94.3 FM Thursdays at 11 a.m., 30 minutes segment that is replayed on Sunday at 11.. ‘Biggers Moments in History’ is a 15-minute segment on Coach Smith’s Over Easy Show Thursdays at 9:15 a.m.