Gold Jacket Spotlight: Derrick Brooks never lets business stop him from giving back

Which Pro Football Hall of Famer gets to wear a Super Bowl championship ring and a Stanley Cup championship ring?

DERRICK BROOKS. 

Since his playing days, Derrick has cultivated a successful career as a business executive. His philanthropy is the main subject of this week’s Gold Jacket Spotlight.

Derrick loved school from an early age. He credits his elementary school principal, Maria Young, for instilling confidence in him.

“She used to always tell the other teachers, ‘Derrick is a really smart kid,’ ” Derrick told The InterView. “She just always reminded me of how smart I was. I was too young to appreciate that, but she was always one of the people I remember (who) recognized my academic talent.” 

Derrick’s attitude toward school came before football. He originally wanted to sell insurance, as he had no knowledge of the workings of a football scholarship but knew the value of a good education. After arriving at Washington High School in Pensacola, Fla., Derrick began to shine on the football field. 

For all his athletic gifts, school was still his equalizer.

“I hated the words ‘dumb jock,’ ” Derrick told The Pensacola Journal. “I never understood it. Why can’t you be smart and be good at playing football?”

Derrick’s commitment to excellence earned him a football scholarship to Florida State. Even as a Division I athlete, his presence was felt in the classroom. 

“I let certain teachers know I was going to perform well in the classroom despite coming out here and playing football,” Derrick said. “I was more conceited about my academic talent than my athletic talent. I bragged about the fact that I was going to get an A.”

A three-time All-American at FSU, Derrick earned his bachelor's in communications with a 3.25 GPA. After winning a national championship and ACC Defensive Player of the Year award with the Seminoles, Derrick was drafted 28th overall by Tampa Bay in 1995. 

During his second season with the Bucs, a random act of kindness set Derrick down a path toward future charitable endeavors. 

While traveling to a game, Derrick encountered two boys playing near the team’s parking lot. He asked if they were going to the game, and when they said no, he gave them a chance to earn tickets. 

Derrick said if the boys were to act as his “personal security” by watching his car until he returned, he’d provide tickets to the next home game. Derrick later told the boys to invite friends but quickly owed 40 tickets to his young fans. 

He turned this friendly exchange into the first of his several charitable foundations. The group was dubbed “Brooks Bunch” and they were the beneficiaries of many educational programs at local boys and girls clubs. 

In 2005, Derrick partnered with fellow Hall of Famer EDWARD DeBARTOLO JR. to open Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School in Tampa. Since its inception, the school has received multiple accolades, including an “A” rating from the Florida Department of Education. In the school’s early years, Derrick got involved by hosting courses in financial literacy.

“I’m not proclaiming that I know everything, I’m teaching through my own mistakes,” Derrick told The Guardian. “Being rich is not being wealthy. Being rich is superficial; here today, gone tomorrow. Being wealthy is spiritual.”

After retiring from football in 2009, Derrick transitioned to the front office side of football. In 2011, he became co-owner and president of the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena Football League. He served as the president, running football operations, until 2019, when he moved to Vinik Sports Group. He currently serves as executive vice president of corporate and community development at Vinik, the parent company of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“He was a great player; now he’s a great businessman,” Fred Robbins, Derrick’s former teammate told The Pensacola Journal.

That claim rings true, as Derrick has seen success in the NHL. His time with the Lightning produced back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.

“I kind of went from playing football to hockey executive,” Derrick said. “They kid me, because I have two Stanley Cup rings and only one Super Bowl ring.”

But he’s never let his success get to his head, and he won’t start anytime soon.

“I try to stay in the moment,” Derrick said in an interview. “If others want to toot my horn, that’s OK. If I toot my own horn, I could run out of breath.”