COASTERS: My night with a lion

Steve Virgen

CERRITOS - His pace on the sidelines does not carry the same solid

march it once did. But, the words from a man who has coached for 52 years

still roar like a lion.

A night along the sidelines of the Strawberry Bowl with Paul Briggs,

80, you find out that the lion is friendly. And that the lion has

influenced many lives.

It’s 15 minutes before kickoff of the Strawberry Bowl and Briggs,

Orange Coast College’s special teams coach, talks with a friend, Bob

Stone. They talk of Eddie Johnson, who has been regarded as the best

punter in OCC history.

Briggs cannot stand still when talking about Eddie. Briggs smiles when

he mentions the punter’s name as if he’s talking about his own son.

Stone’s eyes light up and he’s eager to meet Eddie. It’s as if Stone

is about to meet his long lost brother.

Stone is one of the many players Briggs coached at Bakersfield High,

where Briggs compiled a 244-99-12 record in 37 years, which included four

undefeated teams and a 27-game winning streak. Stone was a part of the

unbeaten teams in 1963 and 1964.

He still lives in Bakersfield, but he made the trip to Cerritos

because he wanted see his favorite coach doing what he does best in a

bowl game.

The clock on the scoreboard is winding down and Cerritos is getting

ready for the kickoff. Briggs stares at the football field, his eyes

blink as if to regain focus, and it seems as if he’s trying to find a

polite way to end a conversation with Stone.

“I’ve got to go to work,” Briggs tells Stone.

The players take their positions to begin the game and Briggs begins

to pace. His stride now has a limp and he walks as if he stubbed his left

toe.

The bill of his Orange Coast baseball cap sits on his thick eye

glasses. He places his wrinkled hands behind his crouched back, his left

hand clutched over his right wrist and his right hand holds a clipboard.

The Pirates receive the kickoff and the offense takes the field. James

Dawkins runs for a 20-yard gain and Briggs continues to pace. He checks

to see where Eddie is at.

The next play, OCC gets a short gain on a run and faces a

second-and-seven.

“Get ready Eddie. Get ready!” Briggs rumbles.

The Pirates’ drive ends four plays later on a fumble.

Later in the first quarter, OCC quarterback Nick Higgs is sacked and

the Pirates face a third-and-15.

“Get ready Ed,” Briggs says.

Higgs throws an incomplete pass and Eddie makes his way to the field.

“Hey, clock this sucker,” Briggs bellows while staring into Eddie’s

eyes.

The ball is booted and Briggs grabs his brow. He smacks a fist to his

clipboard and gnashes his teeth.

“He didn’t get all of it,” he says.

In the second quarter, when the Pirates had to punt again, Eddie

didn’t have a chance to improve on his previous punt. He is tackled for a

loss when he fails to even kick the ball. Briggs’ head stays still. His

eyes blink. He places his hands at his side and waits for Eddie to return

to the sideline.

He pulls him aside and says but two words, “Forget it,” and he

continues to pace.

Halftime comes and the Pirates are down, 24-3. Briggs takes a look at

the scoreboard and shakes his head in disbelief.

“We’re too inconsistent,” he says.

He walks to the locker room and stands outside. He pulls out a Mr.

Goodbar and begins to eat his snack.

His fingers tear through the wrapper and he breaks the chocolate. You

notice two bright gold rings, one on a different finger of each hand.

What are those rings on your fingers Coach Briggs?

“Well, this ring is from my National High School Football Coach of the

Year.” He takes it off and hands it to you.

“Look. And this ring is from the College Shrine All-Star game. That

was a long time ago. Just to give you an idea, a player named Tommy Fears

was in that game.”

He smiles at your fascination over the ring and he offers you a piece

of his chocolate. “Here, take the whole thing. There you go.”

You say “thank you.” And he says, “you’re very welcome.”

Halftime is ending and Briggs asks Coach Mike Taylor what does he want

on the kickoff. The Pirates will be on defense to begin the second half.

Briggs makes his way to the sideline and you ask him, “How long will

you keep on coaching?”

“It depends on what the Lord says, what my wife says and what my

daughter says. After that I don’t have to worry,” responds Briggs.

Will you come back next year?

He blinks his eyes as if to regain focus. He stares into the sky and

he asks, “Well, what do you think?” He looks into your eyes and says, “He

said maybe.”

The second half is a bit better for the Pirates. Orange Coast scores a

couple of touchdowns and almost gets back into the game.

The Pirates are down 31-17, but they have to punt. Eddie sprints out

to the field and takes his position for the snap. It’s a fake and Briggs

flinches with excitement.

Eddie throws a completion for a first down and Briggs lets off an

“atta boy” under his breath.

He walks up to Eddie after the play and jokingly asks, “Are you a

quarterback or are you a punter?”

Eddie gives a bashful smile and Stone is there laughing.

The Pirates continue their drive but it ends on downs near Cerritos’

goal line. The game is nearing an end. Stone starts to walk toward

Briggs.

Stone stops and gazes at his former coach as if he were painting a

picture. It’s as if Stone wants to remember this setting.

Briggs staring at the football field on a cold, foggy night under the

bright stadium lights. Briggs slouched, his hands clenched behind his

back and the bill of his baseball cap sitting on top of his thick eye

glasses.

Stone and Briggs have known each other for over 30 years and Stone

says he loves Briggs as he would his father.

“He’s just a great man and a great American,” Stone says.

What did you learn from him? You ask.

Stone says, “Character. To be a good person. To be prepared when

there’s an opportunity that arises. To do your best. He’s been a great

influence in my life. He had 30 years in the navy and he earned a Purple

Heart in World War II. A lot of people don’t know that about him.”

The game is over and the Pirates lose. Taylor delivers his parting

words to his players. Eddie comes over to you because he wants you to

know what he thinks of Briggs.

“He takes an immense amount of pride for his work,” Eddie says. “I’ve

been to his house before ... I go into his room in his den and he has the

Lombardi trophy from his Coach of the Year. I saw the Purple Heart and a

bunch of trophies. He’s so decorated. If you come up to him you think,

‘Whatever. He’s just another coach.’ But, there’s just so much more

behind that man than meets the eye.”

Players pose for pictures. Everyone else is leaving and you go to

shake Briggs’ hand. The lion thanks you for the time shared.

No, no Mr. Briggs. Thank you.