Derrick Brooks

Lore & Background

Brooks attended Washington High School in Pensacola, Florida. In his senior season in 1991, Brooks carried Pensacola to the state playoff semifinals, where they lost to the eventual champion Manatee Hurricanes of Bradenton, Florida. In 2007, he was named to the Florida High School Athletic Association All-Century Team. While attending Florida State University, he played for the Seminoles from 1991 to 1994. He was a four-year letterman, a consensus first-team All-American his junior and senior years, and a three-time first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection. After playing as safety as a freshman he switched to linebacker as a sophomore. He was a member of the 1993 Seminoles National Championship team. He finished his career with 274 tackles, five interceptions, 8.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. In November 2010, Florida State retired Seminoles jersey number 10 in honor of Brooks. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Brooks in the first round (28th overall) of the 1995 NFL draft. Brooks played 14 years for the Buccaneers. He was the starting weakside linebacker for the last 208 of those games, an NFL record for that position and the second-longest consecutive start streak for any linebacker in NFL history. Brooks never missed a game in his 14 years in Tampa Bay, a total of 224 consecutive games. Following his retirement, Brooks served as co-owner and president of the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2011 to 2017. In 2025, he became the chief operating officer for the South Florida Bulls athletics program.

Did You Know?

• Brooks was selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times, including 10 straight from 1997 to 2006.
• He was a five-time first-team All-Pro (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005).
• Brooks returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVII.
• Brooks was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2000.