Al Briggs, your accomplishments in cross country and indoors and
outdoor track are unparalleled in the histroy of WPI. You set the
standard for every WPI runner who has come after you-a high-water
mark that track and cross country athletics still strive
for.
You still hold the title of the fastest miler in WPI history.
You were also undefeated in dual meet competition during three of
your years at WPI. You were the epitome of the distance
runner-steady, confident and strong, right to the finish
line.
Your talent and hard work won you numerous honors, including
servie as co-captain of both the track and cross country teams in
1976. That same year you earned a dramatic, come-from-behind
victory in the Eastern Intercollegiate Championships in the lime
race. The victory set a new Easterns record. You also competed in
the national NCAA Divison II finals as a junior and senior, a
measure of your talent. As a senior, WPI presented you with the
Varsity Club Award, a tribute given to the outstanding senior
athlete.
Perhaps your greatest triumph came in 1975. That year you raced
your way to the finals of the NCAA Divison II finals, finishing
seventh in the competition. That earned you the distinguished title
of All-American, the first runner in WPI history to be so honored.
It was a fitting finish to a remarkable year, a year in which your
performance was instrumental in the track team's undefeated and
united season.
Your academic record was the equal of your athletic
achievements. You were elected to Skull, the senior honor society,
were named to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, and
devoted your time to your fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta, and to the
student news paper, where you were sports editor. You completed
your academic career by graduating with distinction.
Al Briggs, it is with great pleasure and admiration that we
honor your athletic achievements by inducting you into the WPI
Athletic Hall of Fame.
