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Buccaneers legend Derrick Brooks joins USF athletics in big role

Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Derrick Brooks is taking on a major role with USF athletics, bringing his leadership and legacy to Tampa's college sports scene.
Caleb Skinner|
Sep 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers former player Derrick Brooks smiles before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers former player Derrick Brooks smiles before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Who's my favorite player? Mr. Derrick Brooks!

Derrick Brooks is a legend in Tampa Bay, and it's not all for his success on the field with the Buccaneers. Yes, Brooks is in the Hall of Fame and a Super Bowl winner with the Bucs after an extensive career with the franchise, but his efforts in the community continue to show the passion he has for this city.

Brooks has served on numerous boards in Tampa, served as the Executive Vice President of Corporate and Community Development at Vinik Sports Group, the President and Founder of Derrick Brooks Charities, and co-founded Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School.

Brooks' impact in Tampa Bay has been felt far and wide, and is now entering a new challenge as the University of South Florida announced that Brooks has officially been named the Chief Operating Officer for USF Athletics.

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Derrick Brooks Joins USF Athletics

Derrick Brook
Feb 2, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Derrick Brooks during red carpet arrivals for the NFL Honors show at the Fox Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Brooks will have plenty of responsibility in his new role with USF. He will serve as a lead community ambassador of the University's athletic department, Football and Men's Basketball Administration, revenue generation, sports tourism strategy, enhancing student-athlete experiences, and Team Tampa Bay/local pro franchise relations.

Brooks' role seems fitting for someone with so many ties to the city, its organizations, and the sports teams located within it. Brooks has made Tampa his home and has a passion for making it one of the best sports cities in the country. Outside of the obvious ties, the decision to move to USF shouldn't come as a shock, as his daughter, DaNia, currently plays infield for the softball team.

In a statement released by USF, Brooks couldn't contain his excitement for joining the Bulls' family.

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"There is no better time to be a Bull!" Brooks said. "The University of South Florida has long held a special place in my heart and for my family, most recently as huge supporters of our daughter DaNia and her teammates on the reigning American Conference Tournament champion softball team. I cannot think of a university or an athletics department with brighter futures than ours, and I am ready to get to work and excited to join Rob, his staff, and the tremendous student-athletes and coaches who make USF Athletics a one-of-one college athletic department. As Rob likes to say: 'All Gas. No Brakes. No Regrets. No Excuses.'  And I'll just add: Go Bulls!"

Brooks, in typical fashion, seems ecstatic to take on this new opportunity to help build USF Athletics to a place where it can compete and grow with the best. University of South Florida CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins also expressed his gratitude for Brooks and his new role.

"We have committed to Bulls Nation to build something special here in USF Athletics to best serve our student-athletes, coaches, faculty, alumni and fans," Higgins said. "Derrick Brooks has been a pillar of Team Tampa Bay for the last 30 years and a leader in the state of Florida his entire life. We have been fortunate to work with Derrick many times over the last two decades, including bringing the Super Bowl to Tampa and hosting that event. We could not be more excited to welcome his passion, energy and expertise at USF Athletics as our new COO. He's the ultimate role model for our student-athletes."

Brooks seems to be the perfect fit for the position for USF, and based on all the success that we have seen him have both on and off the field, there is no reason not to believe that he won't help elevate the athletics at USF.

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Caleb Skinner
CALEB SKINNER

Caleb is from Nashville, TN and graduated from Florida State University in 2018 with majors in Sociology and History. He has previously written for an FSU outlet and started covering the Buccaneers in March of 2022. Caleb is an avid sports fan and former host of the Tribeoholics podcast. You can follow Caleb on Twitter @chsnole

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