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Brooks tackles new subject as trustee
By ANITA KUMAR, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 6, 2003
Who's your favorite trustee? Mr. Derrick Brooks.
Brooks, star linebacker for the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is taking on a new position that requires him to tackle higher education issues instead of football players.
Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday appointed the 29-year-old Brooks, a Florida State University graduate, to the FSU board of trustees.
"Derrick's commitment to young people coupled with his dedication to Florida State University makes him an excellent choice for the university's board of trustees," Bush said in a statement.
Brooks, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, will begin serving on the 13-member board immediately, helping to make tough decisions on tuition rates and budget cuts.
"I'm very grateful for this appointment," Brooks said in a statement. "I hope to be a positive force in the decisionmaking process and am taking my appointment very seriously."
Brooks graduated with a bachelor's degree in business communications in 1994 and got a master's in the same subject in 1999 at FSU, where he was First Team All-American and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
He has been active in the community in Tampa, Tallahassee and his hometown of Pensacola. He hosts the "Brooks Bunch," inviting 20 kids to Bucs home games and annual trips to places like Washington, D.C., and even Africa.
He's also known for a lighthearted United Way commercial in which he leads children in song. ("Who's your favorite player? Mr. Derrick Brooks!" they sing.)
The state Senate must confirm his appointment to the unpaid post.
Brooks replaces lobbyist Lee Hinkle, who recently stepped down to pursue a job at the university.
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