ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Before the University of Arizona Wildcats played the Brigham Young University Cougars on Sept. 12, BYUtv aired an episode Sept. 8 about Arizona alumnus Lance Briggs’ childhood and upbringing. 

He is a Sacramento native who played football at Elk Grove High School. The start of his football career began with the South Sacramento Vikings youth football team. But a three-year suspension for the Vikings led Briggs’ mother Brenda to put him in the Elk Grove Thundering Herd youth program. 

His mother kept him there even when the Vikings were no longer on suspension. That led him to Elk Grove High School where he faced adversity as a freshman: He was unable to play because of poor grades. He had to retake classes just to be able to play football again. 

“I was surrounded by a strong community in high school,” Briggs said, with support to right wrongs and “have a chance to leave Elk Grove and possibly go onto the next level.” 

He had 100 tackles and five sacks on defense his senior year, while rushing for 1,574 yards on 139 carries as a running back. He rushed 26 times for 315 yards and six touchdowns in a Section Championship game. The Sacramento Bee named him Player of the Year and a Super Prep Far West Top 12 prospect before his illustrious career at the University of Arizona. 

He was named First Team All-Pac-10 player there three straight years (2000-2002). 

The NFL’s Chicago Bears drafted Briggs in the third round, and he would team up with Hall-of-Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher to create one of the best linebacker duos in NFL history.

Briggs played for 12 seasons. He was a Pro Bowler seven times, First Team All-Pro twice (2005, 2006) and played in the 2007 Super Bowl. 

The Chicago Bears rank him as a top 10 linebacker in organization history behind all-time greats like Dick Butkus, Urlacher, Bill George and Mike Singletary.

Once his career was over, he came back to Sacramento and started the Briggs4Kids Foundation where he hosted football camps to give back to the kids in the greater Sacramento area.

“So many kids have gone on to play at high levels,” Briggs said. “It’s awesome. I get these messages, ‘Hey, I was at your camp and now this is where I am at.’”

He is still giving back to the younger generation by coaching high school and youth football in Arizona. 

He credits his mother for this new chapter of his life, manifesting what she said in the BYUtv episode: “Who you are is God’s gift to you … what you do with it is your gift to God.”  

Visit https://www.byutv.org/c0221346-f76b-4372-9b3d-0ab94f7340f0/lance-briggs--arizona to watch the aired episode on BYUtv.