Derrick Brooks

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Derrick Dewan Brooks (born April 18, 1973 in Pensacola, Florida) is a professional American football linebacker and is one of the current team captains of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

Early years

Brooks starred at Washington High School in Pensacola. 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. Brooks won a state championship in football while at Booker T. Washington high school.

College career

At Florida State University he was a four-year letterman and was first-team All-American his senior year. Brooks was on the 1993 Seminoles National Championship team.

Professional career

Brooks was selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay. Brooks was instrumental in turning the Buccaneers from perennial doormats into eventual Super Bowl champions.

Brooks has long been considered one of the premier linebackers in the NFL, as respected off the field as he is feared on it. He was selected to the Pro Bowl every year since 1997 and has not missed a Pro Bowl since, including the MVP of the 2006 NFL Pro Bowl. His nine-year streak would have come to an end when he was selected as first backup to the OLB position in the 2007 Pro Bowl, until he replaced Lance Briggs at the OLB position, continuing his now ten-year streak, but his ten-year streak ended, he did not make the trip to 2008 Pro Bowl. Brooks is one of 4 players in history to be voted to 10 Pro Bowls, named Defensive Player of the Year, and be a Super Bowl Champion. The other 3 are Mike Singletary, Reggie White, and Lawrence Taylor. He has also been named All-Pro 9 times. Brooks currently leads all defensive players in consecutive starts, surpassing the 200 start mark late in the 2007 season.

Brooks also was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 2002. That year, Brooks returned three interceptions for touchdowns in the regular season, an NFL record for linebackers, and also returned a fumble for a score, for a total of an NFL record 4 defensive touchdowns at the OLB position. In Super Bowl XXXVII, his 44-yard interception return for a touchdown ensured a victory for the Buccaneers.

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 Govenor Jeb Bush.

Derrick Brooks won the 2006 Pro Bowl MVP by returning a Trent Green pass 59 yards for a touchdown, leading the NFC to a win. He has also won the Bart Starr Award in 2004 for his off the field accomplishments in the Tampa Bay community.

External links

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Last updated on Saturday March 08, 2008 at 14:42:04 PST (GMT -0800)
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