Mike Briscoe

“His vivacious smile during the crisis of every contest acts like liquid fire upon his men.”
– The Chicago Defender, 1917

Mike Briscoe.

Mike Briscoe was the captain of the basketball team of the Vandal Athletic Club of Atlantic City, and one of its top scorers.

The “Vandals” were one of the best teams in the country during the late 1910s, and prided themselves on their hard work and sportsmanship. “They are clean, both morally and physically,” one supporter claimed.

Briscoe’s leadership of the team was evident in what newspapermen wrote.

“His vivacious smile during the crisis of every contest,” it was said, “acts like liquid fire upon his men.”