Robert Brooks (American football)

American football player (born 1970)

This article is about the football player. For others with the same name, see Robert Brooks (disambiguation).

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American football player

Robert BrooksNo. 87, 85

Position:| Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:|  (1970-06-23) June 23, 1970 (age 54)
Greenwood, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:| 180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school:| Greenwood
College:| South Carolina
NFL draft:| 1992: 3rd round, 62nd pick
Career history

* Green Bay Packers (1992–1998)
* Denver Broncos (2000)

Career highlights and awards

* Super Bowl champion (XXXI)
* Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
* PFWA Comeback Player of the Year (1997)
* First Team All-South Independent(1991)

NFL record

* Longest receiving touchdown: 99 yards (tied)

Career NFL statistics
| Receptions:| 309

|

Receiving yards:| 4,276
Touchdowns:| 32
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Robert Darren Brooks (born June 23, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Brooks played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers (1992-1998) and the Denver Broncos.[1]

## Early life

[edit]

Brooks started playing football in a pee wee league at the age of six. He then moved on to playing at Northside Junior High. He played running back until he reached college. In his senior year at Greenwood high school, he scored 14 touchdowns and gained over 700 yards. He was also a state champion track star in high school. He was considered one of the best track athletes in the world after winning the 110 meter high hurdles with a time of 13.9 seconds at the Keebler International Prep Track and Field Invitational in June 1988.

## College career

[edit]

Brooks played collegiately for the University of South Carolina (1988-1991). He was a fan favorite throughout his college career, Brooks was known for his fluid running and sure hands. He was a Freshman All-American in 1988. Originally recruited as a running back, Brooks took to the field at wide receiver wearing the jersey number 49 for the Gamecocks. During the 1988 season, Brooks, then a freshman, made an exceptional over-the-shoulder one-handed catch for a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs.

## Professional career

[edit]

Pre-draft measurables  Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump

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6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m)  | 175 lb
(79 kg)  | 31+3⁄8 in
(0.80 m)  | 9+5⁄8 in
(0.24 m) | 4.64 s | 1.65 s | 2.70 s | 4.18 s | 37.0 in
(0.94 m)

Brooks was drafted in the third round, 62nd overall, of the 1992 NFL draft to the Green Bay Packers.[2] He played for the Green Bay Packers (1992–1998) and the Denver Broncos (2000). He led the NFL in kickoff returns in 1993 with a 26.6-yard average. He came into his own in 1995, following a career-ending injury to teammate Sterling Sharpe. That year, he led the Packers with 102 receptions and 13 touchdowns, while racking up 1,497 receiving yards, a franchise record that stood until broken by Jordy Nelson in 2014.[3] During the 1995 season, Brooks caught a 99-yard pass play from Brett Favre during a Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears September 11, 1995. This reception currently ties the records for longest pass play from scrimmage with twelve other receivers.

Brooks suffered a severe knee injury in week 7 of the 1996 season against the San Francisco 49ers, when Niners cornerback Tyronne Drakeford fought off a block and pulled him down tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and patellar tendon on the play. He missed the remainder of the season, and was unable to play in Super Bowl XXXI. The Packers beat the New England Patriots 35–21.[4] Brooks vowed to return the next season, and in 1997 he won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, catching 60 passes for 1,010 yards and 7 touchdowns.[5][6]

Brooks later developed back problems as he was forced to change his running mechanics. He suffered through a painful season in 1998, and briefly retired before attempting a comeback with the Broncos in 2000. He appeared in only a handful of games in Denver, before again retiring from the NFL. He finished his career with 309 receptions, 4,276 yards, and 32 touchdowns. In 2007, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.[7]

Brooks popularized the Lambeau Leap touchdown celebration.

As of 2019's NFL off-season, Robert Brooks held at least 3 Packers franchise records, including:

* Most Punt Ret Yds (playoff career): 214
* Most 100+ yard receiving games (season): 11 (1995, two in postseason)
* Most 100+ yard receiving games (playoffs): 3 (tied with Antonio Freeman and Greg Jennings)

## NFL career statistics

[edit]

Legend

| Won the Super Bowl
| Led the league
Bold | Career high

### Regular season

[edit]

Year  | Team  | Games  | Receiving

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GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD
1992 | GNB | 16 | 1 | 12 | 126 | 10.5 | 18 | 1
1993 | GNB | 14 | 0 | 20 | 180 | 9.0 | 25 | 0
1994 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 58 | 648 | 11.2 | 35 | 4
1995 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 102 | 1,497 | 14.7 | 99 | 13
1996 | GNB | 7 | 7 | 23 | 344 | 15.0 | 38 | 4
1997 | GNB | 15 | 15 | 60 | 1,010 | 16.8 | 48 | 7
1998 | GNB | 12 | 12 | 31 | 420 | 13.5 | 30 | 3
2000 | DEN | 4 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 17.0 | 25 | 0
| 100 | 67 | 309 | 4,276 | 13.8 | 99 | 32

### Playoffs

[edit]

Year  | Team  | Games  | Receiving

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GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD
1993 | GNB | 2 | 0 | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 17 | 1
1994 | GNB | 2 | 2 | 15 | 226 | 15.1 | 59 | 0
1995 | GNB | 3 | 3 | 17 | 281 | 16.5 | 73 | 3
1997 | GNB | 3 | 3 | 7 | 73 | 10.4 | 21 | 0
1998 | GNB | 1 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 24 | 0
| 11 | 9 | 45 | 651 | 14.5 | 73 | 4

## Post-football career

[edit]

After his professional football career ended, members of Brooks family called him about going into the music industry, using the nickname “Shoo-in” which he had developed during his football-playing days. Brooks created the record label “Shoo-in 4 Life”. He also has produced two CD's entitled Jump and Down wit’ tha Bay. He is the wide receivers coach at Brophy College Preparatory, a high school in Phoenix Arizona. Brooks is now married and the father of three children -- Robert, Elisha and Austin -- residing in the Menomonie, WI area. He has become the minister of The River Of Life Church in Menomonie, WI [8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Robert Brooks NFL & AFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
2. ^ "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
3. ^ "Green Bay Packers Single-Season Receiving Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
4. ^ George, Thomas (January 28, 1997). "Patriots Took Gamble On Defense and Paid". The New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
5. ^ "PFWA Comeback Player of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
6. ^ "Robert Brooks 1997 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
7. ^ Christl, Cliff. "Robert Brooks". Packers.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
8. ^ Nathan Hager (July 20, 2006). "It Didn't Take Brooks Long To Embrace Life As A Packer". Packers.com (archived via Internet Archive on July 21, 2006). Archived from the original on July 21, 2006. Retrieved July 5, 2010.

## External links

[edit]

* Brooks' stats[usurped]
* Robert Brooks' homepage Archived March 11, 2015, at the Wayback Machine

* v
* t
* e

Green Bay Packers 1992 NFL draft selections

* Terrell Buckley
* Mark D'Onofrio
* Robert Brooks
* Edgar Bennett
* Dexter McNabb
* Orlando McKay
* Mark Chmura
* Chris Holder
* Ty Detmer
* Shazzon Bradley
* Andrew Oberg
* Gabe Mokwuah
* Brett Collins

* v
* t
* e

PFWA NFL Comeback Player of the Year winners

* 1972: Morrall
* 1973: Gabriel
* 1974: Namath
* 1975: Hampton
* 1976: Landry
* 1977: Morton
* 1978: Riggins
* 1979: Csonka
* 1980: Plunkett
* 1981: Anderson
* 1982: Alzado
* 1983: B. Johnson
* 1984: Stallworth
* 1985: No selection
* 1986: Montana & Kramer
* 1987: White
* 1988: Bell
* 1989: Anderson
* 1990: Word
* 1991: McMahon
* 1992: Cunningham
* 1993: M. Allen
* 1994: Marino
* 1995: Harbaugh & Hearst
* 1996: Bettis
* 1997: Brooks
* 1998: Flutie
* 1999: Young
* 2000: J. Johnson
* 2001: Hearst
* 2002: Maddox
* 2003: Kitna
* 2004: McGahee
* 2005: S. Smith
* 2006: Pennington
* 2007: Moss
* 2008: Pennington
* 2009: Brady
* 2010: Vick
* 2011: Stafford
* 2012: Peterson
* 2013: Rivers
* 2014: Gronkowski
* 2015: Berry
* 2016: Nelson
* 2017: K. Allen
* 2018: Luck
* 2019: Tannehill
* 2020: A. Smith
* 2021: Burrow
* 2022: G. Smith
* 2023: Hamlin
* 2024: Burrow

* v
* t
* e

Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XXXI champions

* 4 Brett Favre
* 7 Kyle Wachholtz
* 9 Jim McMahon
* 13 Chris Jacke
* 17 Craig Hentrich
* 18 Doug Pederson
* 21 Craig Newsome
* 22 Bucky Brooks
* 25 Dorsey Levens
* 27 Calvin Jones
* 28 Roderick Mullen
* 30 William Henderson
* 32 Travis Jervey
* 33 Doug Evans
* 34 Edgar Bennett
* 36 LeRoy Butler
* 37 Tyrone Williams
* 39 Mike Prior
* 40 Chris Hayes
* 41 Eugene Robinson
* 46 Michael Robinson
* 51 Brian Williams
* 52 Frank Winters
* 53 George Koonce
* 54 Ron Cox
* 55 Bernardo Harris
* 56 Lamont Hollinquest
* 58 Mike Flanagan
* 59 Wayne Simmons
* 62 Marco Rivera
* 63 Adam Timmerman
* 64 Bruce Wilkerson
* 65 Lindsay Knapp
* 67 Jeff Dellenbach
* 68 Gary Brown
* 71 Santana Dotson
* 72 Earl Dotson
* 73 Aaron Taylor
* 75 Ken Ruettgers
* 77 John Michels
* 80 Derrick Mayes
* 81 Desmond Howard (MVP)
* 82 Don Beebe
* 83 Jeff Thomason
* 84 Andre Rison
* 85 Terry Mickens
* 86 Antonio Freeman
* 87 Robert Brooks
* 88 Keith Jackson
* 89 Mark Chmura
* 90 Darius Holland
* 91 Shannon Clavelle
* 92 Reggie White
* 93 Gilbert Brown
* 94 Bob Kuberski
* 95 Keith McKenzie
* 96 Sean Jones
* 98 Gabe Wilkins

* Head coach: Mike Holmgren

* Coaches: Todd Bowles
* Larry Brooks
* Nolan Cromwell
* Gil Haskell
* Johnny Holland
* Sherman Lewis
* Jim Lind
* Tom Lovat
* Marty Mornhinweg
* Andy Reid
* Gary Reynolds
* Barry Rubin
* Fritz Shurmur
* Harry Sydney
* Bob Valesente

* v
* t
* e

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame members

* Herb Adderley
* Lionel Aldridge
* Donny Anderson
* John Anderson
* Jerry Atkinson
* Nate Barragar
* Phil Bengtson
* Edgar Bennett
* Vernon Biever
* Ken Bowman
* Zeke Bratkowski
* William Brault
* Charley Brock
* Lou Brock
* John Brockington
* Robert Brooks
* Gilbert Brown
* Hank Bruder
* E. S. Brusky
* Willie Buchanon
* Cub Buck
* Wilner Burke
* LeRoy Butler
* Lee Roy Caffey
* George Whitney Calhoun
* Tony Canadeo
* Al Carmichael
* Fred Carr
* Don Chandler
* Mark Chmura
* Gerald Francis Clifford
* Chad Clifton
* Red Cochran
* Paul Coffman
* Nick Collins
* Irv Comp
* Fred Cone
* Larry Craig
* Dan Currie
* Carroll Dale
* Art Daley
* Boob Darling
* Willie Davis
* Lynn Dickey
* Bobby Dillon
* LaVern Dilweg
* Mike Douglass
* Boyd Dowler
* Donald Driver
* Red Dunn
* Jug Earp
* Gerry Ellis
* Ken Ellis
* Paul Engebretsen
* Lon Evans
* Brett Favre
* Howie Ferguson
* Emil Fischer
* Marv Fleming
* Bill Forester
* Bob Forte
* Antonio Freeman
* Ted Fritsch
* Milt Gantenbein
* Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
* Gale Gillingham
* Charles Goldenberg
* Johnnie Gray
* Ahman Green
* Forrest Gregg
* Hank Gremminger
* Dave Hanner
* Bob Harlan
* Al Harris
* Tim Harris
* William Henderson
* Arnie Herber
* Clarke Hinkle
* Johnny Holland
* Paul Hornung
* Billy Howton
* Cal Hubbard
* Don Hutson
* Jim Irwin
* Cecil Isbell
* Chris Jacke
* Harry Jacunski
* Ed Jankowski
* Greg Jennings
* Bob Jeter
* Lee Joannes
* Ezra Johnson
* Swede Johnston
* Frank Jonet
* Henry Jordan
* Bud Jorgensen
* Aaron Kampman
* W. Webber Kelly
* Gary Knafelc
* Greg Koch
* Ron Kostelnik
* Jerry Kramer
* Ron Kramer
* Curly Lambeau
* Joe Laws
* Mark Lee
* Fred Leicht
* Russ Letlow
* Dorsey Levens
* Verne Lewellen
* James Lofton
* Vince Lombardi
* Ryan Longwell
* Don Majkowski
* Bob Mann
* Chester Marcol
* John Martinkovic
* Charlie Mathys
* Clay Matthews
* Larry McCarren
* Max McGee
* Johnny Blood
* Mike Michalske
* Tom Miller
* Bob Monnett
* Carl Mulleneaux
* Mark Murphy
* Jordy Nelson
* Ray Nitschke
* Dominic Olejniczak
* Robert J. Parins
* Elijah Pitts
* Baby Ray
* Lee Remmel
* Jim Ringo
* Marco Rivera
* Dave Robinson
* Tobin Rote
* Ken Ruettgers
* Al Schneider
* Ray Scott
* Sterling Sharpe
* Josh Sitton
* Bob Skoronski
* Bart Starr
* Jan Stenerud
* Bud Svendsen
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* Mark Tauscher
* Jim Taylor
* Deral Teteak
* Ted Thompson
* Fred Thurston
* Pete Tinsley
* Al Treml
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* Andy Uram
* Jack Vainisi
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