Derrick Brooks

Derrick Brooks

Brooks with the 2006 Pro Bowl MVP trophy
No. 55
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: April 18, 1973 (1973-04-18) (age 38)
Place of birth: Pensacola, Florida
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Weight: 235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College: Florida State
NFL Draft: 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 28
Debuted in 1995 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last played in 2008 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Career history
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995–2008)
Career highlights and awards
11× Pro Bowl selection (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008) 9× All-Pro selection (1997, 1998,1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) Super Bowl champion (XXXVII) Co-Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (2000) with Jim Flanigan AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2002) NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year (2002) "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award (2003) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team College awards and honors NFL awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of 2008
Tackles	1,698
Sacks	13.5
Interceptions	25
Stats at NFL.com

Derrick Dewan Brooks (born April 18, 1973 in Pensacola, Florida) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers 28th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.

An eleven-time Pro Bowl selection and nine-time All-Pro, Brooks was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Early years

Brooks attended Washington High School in Pensacola.^[1] In 1991, his senior year, Brooks carried Pensacola to the state playoff semifinals, where they lost to the eventual champion Bradenton Manatee. In 2007, he was named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team, which selected the Top 33 players in the 100 year history of high school football in the state of Florida's history.^[2]

College career

At Florida State University he was a four-year letterman, a first-team All-American his junior and senior years and a three time first team All-ACC selection.^[3][4] After playing as safety as a freshman he switched to linebacker as a sophomore. He was on the 1993 Seminoles National Championship team.^[3][4] He finished his career with 274 tackles, five interceptions, 8.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.^[4]

In November 2010, the Florida State Seminoles retired the jersey number 10 in honor of Brooks.^[5]

Awards and honors

• 3× First-team All-ACC (1992–1994)
• 2× All-American (1993, 1994)
• ACC Defensive Player of the Year (1993)
• 2× Vince Lombardi Award finalist (1993–1994)

Professional career

Brooks was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round, 28th overall, of the 1995 NFL Draft.^[4] Brooks played 14 years for the Buccaneers and is widely considered one of the best (if not the best) players in franchise history and one of the best linebackers in NFL history.^[6][7] From 1995 to 2008, Brooks started 221 of 224 games, recording 1,698 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 25 interceptions, and six touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times, including 10 straight from 1997 to 2006, was an All-Pro nine times, was the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, and led the team to the franchise's first Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXVII.^[8]

As a rookie in 1995, Brooks started 13 of 16 games. He finished the season with 78 tackles with a sack and earned first team all-rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly and Pro Football Writers Association. During his second season 1996, he started all 16 games and finished with a team leading 132 tackles and his first career interception. In 1997, Brooks earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl after recording 144 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two interceptions in 16 games. In 1998, Brooks had another Pro Bowl season after recording 156 tackles and an interception.

In 1999, Brooks made the Pro Bowl for the third time and was a first team All-Pro selection for the first time in his career. For the season he had 153 tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions. In 2000, Brooks earned his fourth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl and his second consecutive first team All-Pro selection. He finished the season with 140 tackles, a sack, and had his first career touchdown on a 34 yard interception from Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Brooks was also, along with Jim Flanigan of the Chicago Bears, the winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, given to a National Football League player for his community service activities as well as his excellence on the field.^[9] Brooks made his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl in 2001 after recording 112 tackles and three interceptions.

Brooks' best season came in 2002. During that year he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press and helped the Buccaneers win the franchise's first Super Bowl. He also made his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl and was a first team All-Pro selection for the third time. For the season he had 117 tackles, a sack, and returned a NFL record, for a linebacker, five touchdowns (two off fumbles and three off interceptions).^[10] During the Buccaneers 48-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, he returned an interception off of Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon 44 yards for a touchdown.^[11] He thus became one of only six players in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl, be named Defensive Player of the Year and win a Super Bowl or NFL title. The others are Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White and his teammate for nine years, Warren Sapp.^[12]

In 2003, Brooks broke Lee Roy Selmon's team record for most consecutive Pro Bowl appearances with seven. He finished the season with 101 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, and returned an interception for a touchdown. In 2004, Brooks made his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl and fifth first team All-Pro selection after recording 137 tackles, three sacks, and an interception. In 2005, Brooks made his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl and earned his sixth first team All-Pro selection. He finished the season with 125 tackles, three sacks, and an interception.

In Brooks' 10th consecutive Pro Bowl in 2006, he was named the MVP after returning a Trent Green interception 59 yards for a touchdown to secure the victory for the NFC.^[13] During the regular season he had 121 tackles, three interceptions and a touchdown. In 2007, Brooks had 109 tackles and was not voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time since 1996. In Brooks last year with the Buccaneers in 2008, he recorded 73 tackles and an interception and was selected to his 11th Pro Bowl. The 11 Pro Bowls are tied for second most by a linebacker in NFL history.

On February 25, 2009, the Buccaneers released Brooks.^[14]

After spending all of the 2009 season as a free agent, Brooks officially announced his retirement on On August 11, 2010.^[15]

NFL awards and honors

• 6× First-team All-Pro (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
• 3× Second-team All-Pro (1997, 1998, 2001)
• 9× First-team All-NFC (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
• 11× Pro Bowl selection (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008)
• Co-Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (2000)
• "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award (2003)
• Bart Starr Man of the Year Award (2003)
• AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2002)
• Super Bowl champion (XXXVII)
• Pro Bowl MVP (2005)

Personal

Brooks is married and has four children.

Derrick Brooks is the founder of the Brooks Bunch charity and youth scholarship foundation in the Tampa Bay area. He has taken local youngsters across the nation and South Africa with the objective of presenting a first hand experience, or a "mobile classroom." Brooks also headed the founding of the Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School in Tampa.

Brooks is well known for his charity work and his advocacy of the importance of education. He was the co-recipient of the 2000 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and was named to the Florida State University Board of Trustees in 2003 by Governor Jeb Bush.

Brooks is now a football analyst for ESPN and co-host of The Red Zone on Sirius NFL Radio along with analyst duties on ESPN FirstTake usually alongside Lomas Brown.^[16]

See also

Most consecutive starts by a linebacker

References

1. ^ - Ex-Buc Derrick Brooks officially retires from NFL
2. ^ FHSAA announces 33-member All-Century football team
3. ^ ^{a b} Florida State to retire Derrick Brooks' jersey
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Former FSU football phenom Derrick Brooks to have jersey retired
5. ^ "Florida State retires Derrick Brooks' jersey". Miami Herald. November 14, 2010. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/14/1925237/florida-state-retires-derrick.html. Retrieved December 18, 2010. 
6. ^ Farewell, 55: Derrick Brooks was perhaps the greatest Buc ever
7. ^ Often-overlooked Brooks has spot reserved in Canton
8. ^ Derrick Brooks the perfect pick as the NFL's best OLB of 2000s
9. ^ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award
10. ^ Individual Records: Interceptions
11. ^ Super Bowl XXXVII Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
12. ^ "A beast on D-line, Warren Sapp became NFL legend in the '00s". USA Today. January 24, 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2010-01-21-all-decade-d-tackles-warren-sapp_N.htm. Retrieved November 20, 2011. 
13. ^ Brooks Scores TD, Wins Pro Bowl MVP
14. ^ Brooks, Dunn done in Tampa Bay
15. ^ Brooks to Announce Retirement
16. ^ Ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Derrick Brooks joins ESPN2’s First Take as NFL analyst

External links

• Official Website
• Derrick Brooks Charities
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Michael Strahan	NFL Defensive Player of the Year 2002	Succeeded by Ray Lewis
Preceded by Cris Carter	Walter Payton Man of the Year Award 2000 (Co-Award Winner Jim Flanigan)	Succeeded by Jerome Bettis

Persondata
Name	Brooks, Derrick
Alternative names
Short description	All-American college football player, professional football player, linebacker
Date of birth	April 18, 1973
Place of birth	Pensacola, Florida, United States
Date of death
Place of death