Derrick Brooks Biography

Derrick Dewan Brooks, born on April 18, 1973, played his entire 14-year NFL career as a linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks earned consensus All-American honors twice during his college football career at Florida State Seminoles. He was selected to 11 Pro Bowls and named first-team All-Pro five times, including being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. Brooks was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016. In his senior year of high school in 1991, Brooks led Pensacola to the state playoff semifinals, where they lost to the eventual champion Manatee Hurricanes. Florida State retired jersey number 10 in honor of Brooks in November 2010. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Brooks in the first round with the 28th overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft.