Brooks attended Oregon State University in Corvallis, where he majored in physical education and played defensive back for the football team under head coach Tommy Prothro.
After receiving his master's degree, he moved to Sacramento, California, where he accepted an assistant coaching job at Norte Del Rio High School.
After two years in the NFL, Brooks returned to Oregon State to serve as defensive coordinator in 1973 under Andros, after previous DC Bud Riley left for the CFL.
[3] Brooks's teams dominated the instate rivalry with Oregon State, compiling an overall record of 14–3–1, which kept him popular during several disappointing seasons.
[4] His best season came in 1994, when he led the Ducks to the first outright conference title in the school's 100-year football history and a berth in the Rose Bowl.
Nonetheless, Brooks is credited with reviving Oregon's football program and setting the stage for its rise to national prominence under Bellotti and Chip Kelly.
On February 10, 1995, Brooks accepted a four-year contract at $625,000 per year to become the head coach of the Rams, who were preparing to move from Los Angeles to St. Louis for that season.
Brooks inherited a team that was 7–5 in 2002, but was just beginning to feel the effect of NCAA probation imposed because of recruiting violations committed by a prior Kentucky coaching staff.
The Wildcats closed out their campaign in the 2007 Music City Bowl, this time defeating the Florida State Seminoles by a score of 35–28.
On September 30, 2009, Brooks announced on his Twitter page[10] that he had undergone a procedure to remove skin cancer from his leg.
[13] On September 23, 2016, Brooks and former UK player and Tennessee Titan Wesley Woodyard were inducted into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.