During the 15 years Briggs spent at the helm of Panther wrestling, he amassed 164 dual victories while suffering just 98 losses. Under his tutelage UNI finished in the top 15 at the NCAA meet nine times including tenth place finishes in 1983 and 1992. 
    
Briggs took over as the Panthers top man in 1983 and guided the Panthers to 12 straight West Region titles from 1986-1997. In addition, Briggs coached 15 wrestlers that earned All-America honors, including four wrestlers that earned the distinction twice and two being named three-time All-Americans. 
    
Briggs continued to be highly respected among his peers, winning 10 NCAA West Regional Coach of the Year awards and serving a two-year term as president of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. 

Prior to becoming the Panthers head coach, Briggs spent time as a graduate assistant and assistant coach at UNI, coaching 14 national champions at the Division II level. 

He started out wrestling at Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, IA. He was the state runner-up to Dan Gable. He then went on to compete for University of Iowa.