Early years

Brooks was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1963. He attended Mackenzie High School in Detroit, where he played football as a defensive lineman. He graduated in 1981.

College career

Brooks enrolled at the University of Michigan in the fall of 1981 and played college football for head coach Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1981 to 1984. He played at the outside linebacker as a freshman before moving to the defensive tackle position in 1982. As a sophomore, he started seven games at defensive tackle for the 1982 Michigan Wolverines football team.

As a junior, he started all 12 games at defensive tackle for the 1983 Michigan team that compiled a 9-3 record and was ranked #8 in the final AP Poll. At the end of the season, he was selected by the conference coaches as a first-team defensive lineman on the 1983 All-Big Ten Conference football team.

As a senior, he started 11 games at defensive tackle for the 1984 Michigan team. At 6'6", 273 lbs, Brooks led the 1984 team with six sacks and 13 tackles for loss, and he was selected for the second consecutive year as an All-Big Ten player.

During his college career at Michigan, Brooks recorded 156 tackles, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

Professional football

Dallas Cowboys

In the 1985 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys where targeting Jerry Rice with their first round selection, but settled for Brooks (17th overall) after Rice was taken by the San Francisco 49ers. He had a disappointing rookie season as a defensive end, registering 12 tackles and 2 sacks. The next year he competed with John Dutton for the left defensive tackle position, but suffered a dislocated knee cap in training camp, that limited him to nine regular season games as a backup and 9 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks.

In 1987, Brooks became a starter at left defensive tackle and led the team's defensive linemen with 67 tackles (led the defensive line), while adding three sacks. In 1988, he registered 71 tackles and five sacks in 15 games.

In the spring of 1989, Brooks clashed with new head coach Jimmy Johnson, before being traded along with a fourth round draft choice (#82-Jeroy Robinson) to the Denver Broncos, in exchange for a third round draft choice (#80-Greg McMurtry).

Denver Broncos

Brooks was moved to defensive end and lasted just a few months with the Denver Broncos, before being released on September 4, 1989.

Detroit Lions

On September 11, 1989, he signed with the Detroit Lions and was named the starting right defensive end after Keith Ferguson was injured. He started 15 games, registering 39 tackles and 2 sacks. The next year he appeared in only six games (4 starts) at defensive tackle and was waived by the Lions on November 2, 1990.

Brooks retired after playing in the NFL for six seasons from 1985 to 1990. He appeared in 69 NFL games, 45 of them as a starter. He is credited with 15.5 quarterback sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Personal life

After retiring from football, Brooks suffered from depression, and his weight increased to nearly 400 pounds. He underwent a gastric sleeve weight-loss procedure, lost 110 pounds, and became a celebrity spokesperson for The Alexander Center for Obesity Surgery in Dallas. He is married to Tiffany Brooks. His children are Kevin Ashton Craig Brooks, Jordan Phillip Brooks, Sanaa Marie Brooks, and Gage Joaquin Brooks. His father is former NFL player Theodore Wheeler.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]