Before he was an All-SEC running back at Auburn and played 13 NFL seasons, James Brooks led Warner Robins to a 1976 Class 3A championship and a National Sports News Service national title, the first of each in school history. Brooks rushed for 1,816 yards as a senior and 1,852 yards as a junior. His career total of 4,756 set a state record in the highest classification. He finished his high school career with the most career rushing touchdowns (70) in school history, most in a season (30 in 1975), and most in a game (6). Brooks then attended Auburn University and would continue to set school records. He became Auburn’s all-time leading rusher with 3,523 career rushing yards, which remains third in school history. He was the 24th overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, but would find his football home in Cincinnati three seasons later. He played eight seasons for the Bengals and was selected to the Pro-Bowl four times (1986, 1988-1990). Brooks finished his professional career with 7,962 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns, and caught 383 passes for 3,621 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was named to the Bengals’ 40th Anniversary team in 2007 and was elected into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
