Florida State, 1995
• 1993 Second Team Academic All-America®
• 1994 First Team Academic All-America®
Derrick Brooks was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame on June 9, 2014 in Orlando, Fla.
2014 has been a year to remember for
Derrick Brooks, as the former Florida State two-time All-America will receive the game’s ultimate honor later this summer with enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the most feared linebackers to play the position, Brooks led the Seminoles to the 1993 national championship under the guidance of legendary head coach
Bobby Bowden. The two-time Vince Lombardi Award finalist was just as exceptional in the classroom. A three-time GTE Academic All-America
® during his matriculation in Tallahassee, Brooks achieved a 3.89 cumulative grade point average and earned a degree in communications in just three years.
As a three-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference performer, Brooks also was honored twice as a Walter Camp All-America as a junior and senior and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year during Florida State’s national championship campaign of 1993 that also saw him earn a spot among the Dick Butkus Award finalists. Derrick was selected in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quickly became the face of the franchise, making 11 Pro Bowl appearances and serving as team captain for a decade.
Brooks was named as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year during Tampa Bay’s magical season of 2002 that was capped by a 48-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, and he started in 221 of 224 games played during his career, amassing nearly 1,700 tackles, 13 ½ sacks, and 25 interceptions (six of which were returned for touchdowns).
Brooks has been a visible and extremely active member of the Tampa community throughout his career and into retirement. Through his foundation, Derrick Brooks Charities, Inc., he has made it his life’s mission to positively impact the lives of youth in the Tampa Bay area. He established “The Brooks Bunch” in 1997 to encourage and motivate children in local Boys & Girls Clubs to excel in the classroom, and that has blossomed into a program that incorporates a classroom element, a panel presentation and behavior and grade assessments.
Brooks has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Walter Payton/NFL Man of the Year in 2000, the Bart Star Award in 2003 and the 2004 Byron “Whizzer” White Award named for his fellow Capital One Academic All-America
® Hall of Fame honoree.
