Derrick Brooks, a first-ballot Class of 2014 selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joined the Buccaneers Ring of Honor in 2014.
Drafted as a first-round pick (28th overall) in the 1995 NFL Draft, Brooks entered the league alongside Warren Sapp, the first-rounder the Buccaneers had selected 12th overall. The two players would both go on to dominate at their respective positions, combining their prowess to turn the Tampa 2 into one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history.
Brooks spent 14 seasons with Tampa Bay, redefining the linebacker position on his way to becoming one of the most decorated Buccaneers of all time, and one of the most respected players across the NFL.
He played in 224 games with 221 starts, both marks standing as second-most in team history, and recorded a franchise-record 2,198 tackles, along with 25 interceptions, 13.5 sacks, 135 passes defensed, 25 forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. Brooks' seven defensive touchdowns rank second in team history, behind only defensive back Rondé Barber, and he is the only non-defensive back to crack the Top 5 in the team's career interception list.
Brooks earned accolade after accolade during his playing years, being selected as an All-Pro by the Associated Press nine times and totaling franchise best 11 Pro Bowl berths. In 2002, he was named AP Defensive Player of the Year.
He is also responsible for one of the standout plays in Buccaneer history: a 44-yard interception returned for a touchdown that sealed Tampa Bay's 48-21 victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.
However, beyond Brooks' impact on the field, he was - and continues to be - a difference maker in the Bay Area community. Among his many philanthropic honors, Brooks was co-recipient of the 2000 Walter Payton/NFL Man of the Year and received both the 2003 Bart Starr Award and the 2004 Byron "Whizzer" White Award, some of the most revered honors in the league.
Always a strong proponent of education, Brooks dedicated himself both during his career and following his retirement to filling the needs of students, which began with his The Brooks Bunch program, which served as a cornerstone of his community involvement and led the way for the formation of Derrick Brooks Charities, Inc.
Brooks also helped found the Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School; a Hillsborough County sponsored charter high school that currently enrolls over 400 students and serves as the only traditional charter high school in the Bay Area.
A standout player at Florida State University, Brooks was a four-year letterwinner and first-team AllAmerican and All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. His career statistics include 274 tackles, five interceptions, 8.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
In addition to his selection to the Ring of Honor, Brooks was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, the third Buccaneers player to be enshrined in Canton.