Welcome to Derrick Brooks Charities Official Web Site

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Derrick Brooks Charities, Inc., is to provide educational opportunities for socio-economically challenged youth that will instill, inspire, broaden, and develop cultural and social vision outside of the walls in which they live to ensure that these young people have every chance to develop into the strong and productive leaders of tomorrow.

NFL VETERAN BECOMES BEYOND SPORT AMBASSADOR

Derrick Brooks, long-time Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker, Super Bowl winner, and NFL veteran, has been unveiled as an Ambassador to Beyond Sport, the global initiative that promotes, develops and funds the use of sport to create positive social change across the world.

As an Ambassador, Derrick will be responsible for spreading the word about Beyond Sport and its associated values, helping to build awareness about the impact sport can have on communities worldwide.

Derrick is perfectly suited to his new role as one of the most community-minded players in the NFL with a lifelong mission to positively impact the lives of youth in the Tampa Bay area and beyond through his foundation, Derrick Brook Charities, Inc.

During his career Derrick has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2000 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, all of which recognize an NFL player annually for their commitment to the communities in which they live.

Having recently announced his retirement from the NFL, Beyond Sport represents a very significant role undertaken by Derrick in his post-playing life.

Speaking about his new role, Derrick commented: “I am delighted to be able to lend my support to Beyond Sport, an initiative whose values are very close to my heart.

“As athletes we are role models to kids all over the world and I look forward to be able to use that influence to promote the role sport can play in changing people’s lives for the better, especially those in disadvantaged communities.”

Derrick’s appointment as an Ambassador also represents a substantial show of support for Beyond Sport by the NFL, one of the most widely recognized sports leagues in the world.

The addition of Derrick to the panel of Ambassadors comes as the excitement builds in the run-up to the annual Beyond Sport Summit and Awards taking place in Chicago, September 29-30. The event brings together those who use sport as a vehicle to create social impact and influencers from the world of business, government and federations whose attitudes and decisions can have substantial impact.

Derrick joins 23 other Ambassadors, all who bring unique experiences and visions to the Beyond Sport initiative, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; New York Yankees short-stop Derek Jeter; the multi-Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson; Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Olympics; HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan; and two-time Women’s World Cup winner and former president of the Women’s Sport Foundation, Julie Foudy.

Beyond Sport is partnered with Barclays Spaces for Sports, United Airlines, TIME International and UNICEF.

For further information visit www.beyondsport.org.

FUTURE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER DERRICK BROOKS TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT ON DERRICKBROOKS.TV

Linebacker Derrick Brooks, a nine-time All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowl selection, will announce his retirement with a special video message on DerrickBrooks.tv, today, Wednesday, August 11.

Brooks will also hold a press conference at One Buccaneer Place on Thursday, August 12 at 1:30 p.m. The press conference will be carried live on Buccaneers.com.

Brooks, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 28th overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 and helped lead the Buccaneers to their first World Championship in Super Bowl XXXVII on January 26, 2003. The Florida State star played in every single game during his 14-year career with Tampa Bay, seeing action in all 224 games with 221 starts, both all-time Buccaneer franchise records. His 2,198 career tackles are the most in team history, and his eight defensive touchdowns, including one in the Super Bowl win over Oakland, are second-best in the Buccaneer record book.

Brooks has also been a pioneer in the Tampa Bay community, establishing Derrick Brooks Charities and heading the founding of the Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School in Tampa. He was named co-recipient of the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2000.

FLORIDA STATE TO RETIRE FOOTBALL STAR DERRICK BROOKS' JERSEY

The Florida State University will retire the jersey of former Seminole and Tampa Bay Buccaneer star linebacker Derrick Brooks at its football game against Clemson on November 13th.

Brooks was a two-time consensus All-American at outside linebacker for the Seminoles where his blend of speed and athleticism set a new standard for the position. He starred at FSU from 1991-94 leading FSU to its first national title as a junior and earning first team All-ACC honors as a sophomore, junior and senior. He was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1994 and was a finalist for the Butkus, Lombardi and Football Writer’s Defensive Player of the Year Award in both 1993 and 1994.

Brooks was just as highly regarded off the field earning first team Academic All-America honors in 1994 and winning an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. In addition, he was committed to public service causes throughout his Seminole career.

Brooks carried his excellence both on the field and as a citizen into his likely Hall of Fame career as the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers’’ all-time leading tackler. He was voted to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls (11 total) and at the time of his retirement had made an NFL-leading 200 consecutive starts. He led his beloved Tampa Bay team to the Super Bowl Championship in 2002.

As a professional, Brooks has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2000 Walter Payton/NFL Man of the Year award, the 2003 Bart Starr Award, and the 2004 Bryon "Whizzer" White Award, and the 2008 JB Award through the NFL Players association, all of which recognize an NFL player annually for their commitment to the communities in which they live.

FSU, which began retiring jersey’s rather than taking numbers out of circulation in the mid 1990s, will honor him on November 13th. He will join Fred Biletnikoff (WR, 1962-64), Ron Sellers (WR, 1966-68), Ron Simmons (NG, 1977-80), Deion Sanders (CB, 1985-88), Charlie Ward (QB, 1989-93), Warrick Dunn (RB, 1993-96) and Chris Weinke (QB, 1997-2000) as the only FSU football players to have their number/jersey retired.

BROOKS BUNCH COLLEGE PROGRAM

The “Brooks Bunch” was the cornerstone of Derrick’s initial community involvement in the Tampa Bay area. He founded the program in the third year of his playing career as a result of his many visits to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa. Read more...

BROOKS BUNCH COLLEGE PROGRAM -
STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Natasha Spencer
4th Year Medical Student Florida State University Medical School
(click here for more information)

SAVE THE DATE - 11TH ANNUAL DERRICK BROOKS CELEBRITY CLASSIC - May 1st - 2nd, 2011

We have the dates for the 11th Annual Derrick Brooks Celebrity Classic. It will be held on May 1st & 2nd, 2011 at Old Memorial Golf Course.

PHOTOS FROM THIS YEAR'S CELEBRITY CLASSIC