When Naperville Central High School takes the field Saturday for the Class 6A state football championship game in Champaign, there will be all sorts of starring roles for the players.
But while the fans are following the snaps and passes on the field and the cheerleaders are doing their routines, one of the biggest stars will be on the sidelines, out of the glare of the limelight.
Matt Briggs, student manager for the team, may not seem like a star at first, but once you get to know him, there’s no doubt about his physical stamina, his strength of character and his passion for sports.
The plays that he has had to run in his 18 years are no less impressive than those on the field.
Briggs has cerebral palsy, a condition that has made walking difficult and has derailed his dream of an athletic career. But what his legs can’t do, he imagines in his head and feels in his heart.
Briggs is the student manager not only for football but also for baseball and basketball. Few students are more involved in the athletic program at Naperville Central than this senior. This year alone, he estimates he is spending 20 to 30 hours a week at practices, games, rallies and other sports events.
“I always wanted to play sports as a little kid, but it’s just not possible for me,” he said. “I knew that I wanted to get involved somehow, so I started managing the baseball team in junior high school.”
One thing led to another, and by the time he was in high school, Briggs was well on his way to a manager’s career, helping coaches and players stay on schedule during practices and running errands for the athletic staff. His first three school years, he managed baseball and basketball, not to mention announcing the play-by-play at home baseball games. This year he added managing the football team to his resume.
“I’ve always loved football, and I thought that this year would be a good time to do it,” said Briggs, who put it off until his senior year so he could devote more time to his studies. Homework takes another couple of hours a night, but Briggs said it’s worth it to keep up his grade-point average of about 3.5.
Briggs, who was class president during his freshman and sophomore years and this year is a member of the student advisory council, said his love of sports comes naturally. His father, Mike Briggs, graduated from Naperville in 1975 and played football during his high school days.
“His disposition has always been quite wonderful,” Mike Briggs said of his son. “He’s always fought everything and thought he could do anything.”
This week promises to be extra busy for Briggs and the players as the Redhawks prepare for the championship game against Schaumburg at University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
The team schedule for the week included a two-hour practice on the artificial turf at the stadium at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb on Tuesday night and a midday pep rally at the high school on Wednesday. And that’s not to mention the practice on Thanksgiving morning.
“Matt will give you all he has,” said team defensive coordinator John Urban, who is also a guidance counselor at the school. “His heart and soul is in Naperville Central.”
Urban said Briggs serves as an example of someone who does not let a physical disability get in the way of pursuing a dream.
“He’s a neat kid to have around,” Urban said. “It’s a good thing for other kids to see someone who may have a disability who does not let it affect him. He’s one of us.”
Becoming one of the guys has not always been easy for Briggs, who has had three operations, two of them requiring a long stint in a body cast. And he has experienced his share of teasing from other children who didn’t understand why he walked differently.
As a 2nd grader he decided to fight prejudice by speaking out. After being laughed at by other pupils in grade school, Briggs asked his teacher for permission to give a speech to the class on cerebral palsy.
“The teasing used to bother me a lot, as it probably would for any little kid, but I know I had to do something about it,” he said.
“I just told them that I had cerebral palsy, that it was something I was born with and that they couldn’t get it from me by coughing or shaking my hand or whatever. I was just a normal kid who walked a little bit differently.”
He gave that same speech at the beginning of every school year until 5th grade. By then, most of the pupils understood and the teasing had long since stopped, Briggs said.
“The boys have a lot of respect for Matt. He’s a real inspiration for the kids,” said booster club president Al Baysek, whose son, Gerald, is a football player.
These days, Briggs is thinking about pursuing a career in sports, maybe as a sportscaster, sports writer or professional manager. But in the meantime, there is Saturday’s big game and his love for the Redhawks.
“I really don’t know what else to tell you, except that this has been a blast,” he said. “What can I say? It’s fun being with all my friends, watching them do so well for the school. It’s been a lot of fun to watch them have such a great year and just to be a part of it.”
