Photo illustration by azcentral sports.
Position, years at UA: Linebacker, 1999-2002
Honors, accomplishments at UA: Was a three-time first-team All-Pac-10 linebacker, from 2000 to 2002. … Led the Wildcats in tackles all three seasons. … Had a combined 24 1/2 tackles for a loss in his final two seasons.
Why he made our list: Dick Tomey won a tough recruiting battle for Briggs, from Sacramento.
“He was one of those guys USC didn’t let up on,” Tomey said. “They tried really hard on him, and there weren’t many of those kind of recruiting battles we won.”
Briggs was a fullback for his first season — “he and I still laugh about that,” Tomey said — and he would have been very good on that side of the ball, but it was the move to middle linebacker that launched his legendary UA career.
He had 16 tackles against Utah in his first game at linebacker in 2000 and went on to earn first-team all-conference honors in his initial year at the position, making 113 tackles. He would go on to become a rare bright spot during the rough first two seasons of coach John Mackovic’s reign at UA. (Briggs was a main supporter of a players’ revolt against Mackovic late in the 2002 season, as the players complained to the school president about the coach’s conduct toward them.)
Mackovic once noted that Briggs was the fastest linebacker he had ever coached.
“He was a tremendous leader when I was there, even though he was a young player,” said Tomey, who was forced out after the 2000 season. “I hated to miss the rest of his career.”
Briggs finished with 35 1/2 tackles for a loss, 10 1/2 sacks, four interceptions, 10 pass break-ups, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Life after college: The Chicago Bears selected Briggs in the 2003 third round, No. 68 overall, and he has gone on to become the most-accomplished NFL player from UA. He was chosen to seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 2005 to 2011.
Briggs, 32, is entering his 11th season with the Bears, the first without now-retired Brian Urlacher beside him at linebacker. Because of that, Briggs will be taking on a larger leadership role this season, a role to which he is naturally suited.
He has started 153 of the 156 games in which he has played, making 1,072 tackles and intercepting 15 passes, with five returned for touchdowns.
Briggs — who often comes back to UA in the offseason — is always busy off the field, hosting youth football camps (including in Tucson) and is active in the community through his foundation, Briggs4Kidz.
That’s just a partial accounting of his diverse pursuits. The words on the front page of his website — Lance-Briggs.com — read like this: FATHER. COMMENTATOR. PHILANTHROPIST. COOKING ENTHUSIAST. COMIC BOOK WRITER. BEAR.
In partnership with the Arizona Republic, we are counting down the top 50 football players in Arizona Wildcats history. Leave your top 10 at AG’s Wildcat Report on Facebook, and check out azcentral.com for the countdown of ASU’s Top 50 football players.
Arizona’s top 50
No. 50 — LaMonte Hunley
No. 49 — Hubie Oliver
No. 48 — Rob Gronkowski
No. 47 — Jim Donarski
No. 46 — Ontiwaun Carter
No. 45 — Steve McLaughlin
No. 44 — John Fina
No. 43 — Glenn Parker
No. 42 — Bobby Lee Thompson
No. 41 — Marcus Bell
No. 40 — Fred W. Enke
No. 39 — Ka’Deem Carey
No. 38 — Juron Criner
No. 37 — Dana Wells
No. 36 — Tom Tunnicliffe
No. 35 — Bruce Hill
No. 34 — Chuck Osborne
No. 33 — Brandon Sanders
No. 32 — Sean Harris
No. 31 — Mike Thomas
No. 30 — Bobby Wade
No. 29 — T Bell
No. 28 — Joe Salave’a
No. 27 — Eddie Wilson
No. 26 — Chuck Levy
No. 25 — Allan Durden
No. 24 — Nick Foles
No. 23 — Tony Bouie
No. 22 — ‘King Kong’ Nolan
No. 21 — Bill Lueck
No. 20 — Walter “Hoss” Nielsen
No. 19 — Trung Canidate
No. 18 — Mark Arneson
No. 17 — Chris Singleton
No. 16 — Mike Dawson
No. 15 — Max Zendejas
No. 14 — Dennis Northcutt
No. 13 — Jackie Wallace
No. 12 — Antoine Cason
No. 11 — Vance Johnson