Batavia names new head football coach

UPDATED with comments from Bromley at 2:01 p.m.
UPDATED at 4:43 p.m. with comments by Briggs.

Brennan Briggs, who led the Blue Devil's JV squad to an undefeated season in 2011, has been named the varsity's head football coach.

Briggs replaces Dan Geiger, who had a 16-35 record over six seasons as the Blue Devil's head coach.

The board of education approved the promotion of Briggs on Monday.

Athletic Director Michael Bromley said Briggs is somebody he's had his eye on since Brennan's student-athlete days at Batavia.

"It was easy to see as a young kid he was a great leader," said Bromley.

Briggs was a standout athlete in football and hockey, helping lead the hockey team to two sectional titles.

Bromley said when Briggs decided to major in physical education in college, he saw him as a potential teacher and coach at Batavia.

"He's got a lot of great experience and I have no doubt he will be a success," Bromley said.

The promotion, Briggs said, is exactly what he had in mind for himself.

"It’s been a goal of mine since I got into coaching to become a head football coach, to get out under the lights on Friday night and there’s no place better to do it than Batavia High," said Briggs.

Brigg's is the son of a former Gates-Chili coach Jim Briggs, a Section V Hall of Fame member.

Jim Briggs was also a standout athlete at Batavia HS and is in the schools hall of fame.

Bromley doesn't anticipate the senior Briggs being involved officially the football program, but he's sure father and son will talk a lot.

"It's obviously a great resource to have somebody with his knowledge and his level of success available as a dad," Bromley said. "I'm sure there will be a lot of dinner table conversations."

Brennan said you can rule out any idea of Jim becoming an assistant coach.

"He's got two grand sons he helps take care of and he's quite content doing that," Briggs said.

But they will talk.

"Obviously, I'll listen to anything everything he has to say, but he also does a good job of stepping back and let me be Brennan Briggs," Briggs said.

The players received the news of the promotion for Brigg's well, Bromley said. 

It was important to get Briggs started as coach this month, with players already beginning training and weight work for next season.

"Winning football isn't just about what you do during the season," Bromley said. "It's also what you do during the off season."

Fans shouldn't read too much into the undefeated JV record, Briggs said. There are a lot of JV teams in the area that have undefeated seasons, but that doesn't necessarily translate into winning varsity programs.

"I don't want everybody coming here thinking, 'Oh, Coach Briggs is undefeated on JV and they're going to be undefeated on varsity.' It doesn't work that way," Briggs said. "It's not going to be a complete transformation over to varsity."

That said, Briggs said he's already established a relationship with a lot of his players, both from coaching JV football and coaching baseball at the school.

His goal: Establish a winning culture.

"It's about discipline and hard work and it doesn't always show up on the score board, but inch by inch, we'll get there," Briggs said.

Briggs is pretty young at 26 to take over a varsity program, and he sees his age as offering both pros and cons.

When you're a young coach, he said, you can relate to a lot more of what the kids are going through away from campus, but they can also come to see you too close as peer.

"There's a fine line where these kids see you as a young person, you’ve got to establish that you’re the coach," Briggs said. "Yes, I want a good relationship with them, but there’s a fine line and you establish that by expecting discipline, not accepting any excuses and being hard on  them and just expecting the best from them every single day."

Bromley anticipates working with Briggs and putting together a coaching staff for Briggs over the next month.