Topic: Rich Brooks

Rich Brooks (born August 20, 1941, Forest, California, United States) is an American football coach and the head football coach at the University of Kentucky. Brooks is best known for spending 18 seasons at the University of Oregon, winning the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award for national coach of the year after leading Oregon to the Rose Bowl in 1994.

Brooks attended Oregon State University. He majored in physical education and played defensive back for the football team. He received his bachelor's degree in 1963 and completed his master's degree in education at Oregon State the next year. He was also a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity at Oregon State.

His coaching career started at Oregon State as an Assistant Freshman Coach while working on his master's degree. After receiving his master's degree, he moved to Sacramento, California where he accepted an assistant coaching job at Norte Del Rio High School. He soon returned to his alma mater to serve as an assistant coach for the Beavers from 1965-1970.