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Auburn Football’s “Where are they now?”: James Brooks to receive Tiger Trail plaque

By Chris Roush

Sep 17, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; View of the stadium as fans stripe the stadium in orange and blue during the first quarter between the Auburn Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; View of the stadium as fans stripe the stadium in orange and blue during the first quarter between the Auburn Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here we discuss former Auburn football running back James Brooks, who will be receiving a plaque on downtown Auburn’s Tiger Trail.

Former Auburn football running back James Brooks, who played for the Tigers from 1977 to 1980, is among the newest inductees into the Tiger Trail on downtown Auburn’s sidewalks.

Brooks, a native of Warner Robins, Georgia, will be honored with his plaque during A Day weekend and at a ceremony at the Auburn Arena.

Brooks rushed for 1,208 yards in 1979, averaging an astounding 7.4 yards per carry and scoring 10 rushing touchdowns. His yards led the Southeastern Conference.

The next year, Brooks rushed for 1,314 yards and nine touchdowns.  His 3,523 total rushing yards at Auburn was the all-time record until it was broken by Bo Jackson, and Brooks currently stands third all time behind Jackson and Cadillac Williams.

Brooks likely would have had more rushing yards during his Auburn career except for the fact that he played in the same backfield as future NFL Pro Bowlers William Andrews and Joe Cribbs and was only the featured back during his last season. In 1979, both he and Cribbs rushed for more than 1,000 yards.

In addition, Brooks ran back punts and kickoffs for the Tigers, and his 5,596 all-purpose yards set an Auburn record that still stands.

Brooks was then drafted in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers and played three years for them.

After the 1983 season, Brooks was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he became their starting running back. The trade is widely regarded as one of the best that the Bengals ever made.

With his new team, Brooks rushed for more than 900 yards five times, and for more than 1,000 yards three times. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times. His 1,239 rushing yards in 1989 set a Bengals single-season record.

Brooks became the first Auburn running back to play in a Super Bowl when he was with the Bengals. In Super Bowl XXIII, he rushed six times for 24 yards and caught two passes for 32 yards in a game the Bengals lost to the San Francisco 49ers 20-16.

Like at Auburn, Brooks was a yardage machine for the Bengals. His 4.8 yards per carry remains a team record, as does his 1,773 total purpose yards in the 1986 season. His 14,910 total yards in the NFL ranks 36th all time in league history.

Next: All-Time Top 10 NFL Auburn Players

Please give Brooks a warm welcome back to the Plains.

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