Briggs Brings It

GCC sports information director has encyclopedic knowledge, irrepressible enthusiasm.

By Brad Isles

As just the third Grove City College sports information director in the past half-century, Ryan Briggs ’01 personifies the “Wolverines Together” refrain.

He is responsible for promoting the College’s 450-plus student-athletes and 22 NCAA Division III varsity teams by disseminating team information to assorted media outlets, updating the department’s website and social media channels, and much, much more. He also coordinates the promotion of the Wolverines within the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, the NCAA, and related affiliations.

“I enjoy seeing our outstanding young men and women competing and excelling at their sport or sports of choice,” Briggs said. “It is very rewarding to get to know them and hopefully my efforts are a small part of a very positive experience for them at Grove City College. The games, matches, meets, etc., are all a big part of it. But ultimately, this is a ’people’ business and it’s the people – colleagues, coaches, athletes, and members of the campus community that are the most rewarding part of it.”

To Briggs, hired as Grove City’s SID in 2002, no athlete or sport is greater than another. To parlay some old-school media nomenclature befitting Briggs’ background, the College’s “tankers” (swimming), “harriers” (cross country), “booters” (soccer), “thinclads (track) “spikers” (volleyball), “gridders” (football) and “cagers” (basketball) are on an equal playing field.

“On a lot of campuses, there’s jealousy within athletic departments. Coaches may try to undermine other programs for their own benefit. But here at Grove City, we all want everyone to have as much success as possible,” Briggs said. “To borrow a line from head football coach Andrew DiDonato, ’each of us needs all of us.’ Wolverines Together is the realization of that within the athletic department.”

“I enjoy the actual work involved with being in my position. But I am very confident that it would not be as rewarding or meaningful if I were at another school.”

Briggs presides over the Doc McMillan Press Box on football Saturdays at Robert E. Thorn Field, serving as the in-game announcer, radio, media, and coach herder, and as a mentor to a handful of student workers who gain valuable work experience under his direction. Briggs’ call of “First down. Wolvaareeeens!” echoes through lower campus following big plays by the home team. It’s so catchy those in attendance are known to join in the call.

Briggs’ personality also shines through on basketball nights in College Arena. Whether it’s his bullish “Isaac Williams. For threeee!” resonating through the rafters, or by entertaining the crowd during breaks in the action by spinning an eclectic mix of music. If the Wolverines are hosting an important or rivalry game, Briggs will break out a bright-red sport coat affectionally known within the Physical Learning Center as his “big game jacket.”

Considering his career trajectory, it’s hard to imagine Briggs originally wanting to be a meteorologist while growing up not far from campus. He matriculated to Grove City College from nearby Grove City High School and double-majored in English and Communications. Briggs began working as a student in the sports information office under then-SID Joe Klimchak ’91, and also served as the full-time sports editor at the local weekly paper during his junior and senior years.

In addition, Briggs commenced calling football and basketball games on local radio stations at the same time, emulating childhood broadcast icons Lanny Frattare and Vin Scully. During summer afternoons growing up Briggs would go out to his garage and dial in WJR 760 out of Detroit to listen to the legendary Ernie Harwell on Tigers games. It’s a diversion he maintains to this day and, as a result, Briggs has evolved into one of the area’s foremost authorities on scholastic and collegiate athletics in Western Pennsylvania. With a tip of the mortarboard to almost two decades in the business, along with his vocation and encyclopedic knowledge, he is affectionately known to many in the region as “Professor Briggs.”

Whether it’s in his writing, announcing, or broadcasting, Briggs’ delivery is unabashedly traditional, clear and authoritative while being informative and welcoming. He boasts an uncanny ability to conjure up a wholly obscure yet completely relevant statistic from some long-ago match that leaves the listener with a smile, wondering “where did that come from?”

Befitting his old-school approach, it should come as no surprise that Briggs prefers to unwind after a long day of covering sporting events, pumping out up to a dozen news releases, announcing, and updating the athletics social media channels and website by cracking open a cold root beer (Barq’s, preferably) while taking in a broadcast through the technologically advanced method of livestreaming through his phone or PS4.

“I enjoy the actual work involved with being in my position. But I am very confident that it would not be as rewarding or meaningful if I were at another school,” Briggs said. “This is my hometown and Grove City College is my alma mater. I understand what it’s like to go through the rigorous academic curriculum here and also how a person can grow in many ways at the College. I think that I am still growing in many ways by being in such a tremendous environment on a daily basis.” n