He stands only 5-foot-2 -- the shortest gymnast on the men's team.

But disguised underneath this small frame is Penn State's strongest force on the still rings, senior Rich Briggs.

"Usually when people think of a great athlete, they think of someone who's 6-2, 220 in terms of weight -- a big powerful athlete -- whereas Rich is very small," Coach Randy Jepson said. "And yet he's able to show a very athletic performance."

Briggs' height may be small, but his drive and determination are enormous. In fact his go get 'em attitude led gymnasts on the women's team to nickname him "Scrappy Doo."

"He's so tiny he just reminds us of the character Scrappy Doo, like he has so much puppy power," women's gymnast Kerry Slattery said. "He's just really aggressive, and nothing holds him back. He's so little, but he acts so big."

Ironically, the same school Penn State tackles this Saturday helped Briggs decide to make Happy Valley his home.

Five years ago the West Palm Beach, Fla., native watched Penn State lose to Ohio State in Rec Hall. He admired the respect former Coach Karl Schier had for the Buckeyes.

However, he was not impressed by the attitude of Ohio State's coach.

"They'd just won, and he's sitting there complaining to me, talking Penn State down," Briggs recalled. "I didn't want to be part of that, so I cancelled my trip with them and decided to go to Penn State."

That decision has given the Nittany Lions a strong boost on one of their weakest events -- the still rings.

Briggs has consistently posted mid-nines this season, including a 9.45, despite only executing a tucked fly away dismount because of an injury.

Briggs broke his foot last month and does not expect to perform a full dismount for another week or two.

"When I hurt my foot, I think everybody else felt worse about it than I did," Briggs said. "All the important meets are at the end of the season, and I won't miss those."

Briggs is no stranger to injuries and the resulting disappointments. When Briggs joined the wrestling team as a junior in high school, he blew out the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. The injury ended his wrestling career and led him back to gymnastics.

"I didn't have the coaching that I would have liked to when I was back at home, so it was hard to advance," Briggs said. "But once I got to Penn State, things really came together for me."

Until injury struck again.

Last year a progressing shoulder injury kept him out of the ring finals at the National Championships.

"Part of the problem last year was my shoulder was killing me," Briggs said. "When you can't train and all you're doing is competing, it's very frustrating trying to be as good as you want to be."

But after having shoulder surgery during the summer, Briggs returned this season aiming to be the best. Briggs has set his sights on leaving his gymnastics career as the Big Ten and national champion on the rings.

And captain Mike Masucci knows Briggs won't let his foot injury stand in the way of that goal.

"He worked really hard when he had the foot injury, did a lot of strength training," Masucci said. "He kept his head up because he knew we needed him in the long run."

The long run of 12 years in gymnastics may wind down for Briggs when he graduates this May. Although he would consider returning to gymnastics if it expands on the professional level, Briggs is shifting his focus to a career in computer programming or a related technical field.

And when the 22-year-old enters the real world, he will leave behind a memorable gymnastics career.

One of his most rewarding highlights was his second-place finish on rings at the 1991 NCAA National Championships held here at Penn State.

"It was pretty incredible having 7,000 people in Rec Hall screaming for you," he said. "It was a great thing, something you won't usually forget. And I'll definitely always remember it."

And Briggs' fans and teammates will always remember the little gymnast, who battled back from injury and stood tall among the nation's best on the rings.