Bryan Wilcox went from LHS football star to UCLA
• The following is part of an ongoing series of articles in celebration of Libertyville High School's 100th anniversary.
Bryan Wilcox is a 1986 Libertyville High School grad, a three-sport athlete, and in his 17th year as an LHS teacher and coach.
Wilcox' LHS sports were football, basketball, and track. His top sport was football, where he earned All-Conference his junior and senior years and All-State as a senior. His top position was defensive tackle, but he also played tight end and did the placekicking. The Sun Times included Wilcox on its All 1980s team.
Wilcox was an All-Conference basketball player his junior year, but was injured his senior year. He won county in the shot put and discus, also qualifying for state in both track events.
Wilcox caught the eye of numerous college football programs. He narrowed his decision down to Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Illinois, Wisconsin and UCLA before signing with the Bruins. He felt UCLA was a great school; they had just won the Rose Bowl, and the idea of going to school in California was appealing.
After a redshirt year, Wilcox got some playing time in his first competition season. He was a starter his sophomore year with 4.5 sacks and leading the team in fumbles caused. He was the starter through the first half of his junior year before recurring concussions ended his UCLA career.
Some highlights of Wilcox's UCLA career were tackling future NFL Hall of Fame running back Emmett Smith (Florida) and sacking 16-year NFL player Rodney Peete (USC).
Wilcox graduated from UCLA with a history degree. After teaching and coaching positions at Mundelein and Deerfield, Wilcox came back to LHS to take a dean's position in the fall of 2002, coaching defensive line in football and the weight throwers in track. He added girls basketball as a third coaching role for several years.
He took some years off coaching to watch his children in athletics. He came back to coach football a few years later, helping the 2015 LHS squad reach the state finals again. He switched to coaching golf two years ago to free up time to follow his youngest daughter's athletics.
Wilcox was a part of several LHS football milestones. The IHSA football playoffs began in 1974. But LHS didn't qualify for the playoffs until Wilcox's fall 1985 senior season.
The playoffs in the early days allowed only 9-0 and 8-1 teams in, and 7-2 teams if they won the conference title. The 1985 LHS team left no doubt with their 9-0 record to guarantee their spot in the playoffs.
He was on the LHS football staff during the program's first trip to the state championship game in 2003, as well as their 2004 state title.
Wilcox left his dean's position several years ago and joined the driver education department staff. He has also added the role of co-coordinator for the new LED program, a Staff Development Resource Center.