Ethan Brooks

Brooks grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut. He attended Westminster School, a small prep school with a poor football record while he was there. He was not recruited by Division I-A schools, but had opportunities to play with a scholarship at Division I-AA schools.

His father Alan had gone to Wesleyan University and was good enough to be invited to the Baltimore Colts training camp. When Brooks graduated, Williams College had a better football program than Wesleyan and the other school of the "Little Three", Amherst College, good enough to be a Division III "football power".

Brooks had NFL aspirations and thought that the Division III level of play would not be the best route to the NFL. He intended to go to Bucknell University which had a superior football program as a Division I-AA program and was still a good academic institution. However, he did not think he would be accepted at Division III Williams College, because although his academics were good for a football player, they were low for the school. Nevertheless, Williams admitted him with financial aid and he chose to attend, because of both their stellar academic reputation and rich football tradition.

He became a starter at defensive tackle and stood out in the division for his size (270 pounds) and skill. He was also used on the offensive line to block in specific goal-line situations. As a sophomore, he took a year off to recover from a broken foot. He became a two-time All-conference player and the NESCAC defensive player of the year as a senior. He also contributed to his team having a 17-0-1 record in his final two seasons

He was an All-American in track and field in the hammer throw. On his last throw of the 35 lb. weight at the 1996 NCAA Indoor Championships, Brooks broke the NCAA Division III record with a heave of 63’ 8 ¾” and later that spring he won the NCAA hammer throw (194’ 2”). His major was psychology.

Brooks met his wife Jaqueline Smith on a blind date during his first year in Atlanta. They were married in less than a year in the Spring of 1997. In the Fall of 1999 Jackie was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Brooks put football on the back burner while he stayed with his wife who was having chemotherapy treatment.

He also was struggling with a back injury and was released by the Rams. He turned down new signing offers from the Saints, Cowboys, Cardinals, and Jaguars. When the doctors pronounced Jackie in remission, he accepted an offer from the Arizona Cardinals for the 2000 season and made the team. Jackie joined him but she was already ill with a fatal recurrence and died in March 2001. Brooks did not tell many people about the situation and was not re-signed at the end of the season.[11]

In September 2009, he joined the staff of the Pomfret School in Connecticut as a strength and conditioning coach. He left for a similar position at his alma mater, Williams College in 2011.[12]

Brook's sister, Rebecca, was an All-American in soccer, basketball and outdoor track & field. His older brother Fletcher was the head coach of the Ephs men’s and women’s track & field teams, before moving on to Iowa State University in 2013.