Brooks was raised in Grand Forks and attended St. Michael's Elementary and Valley Junior High before graduating from Central in 1998. A four year starter at GFC, he was a first team All State QB two times and Gatorade Player of the Year during his senior season. He led the team to the state championship game in 1996. As a three year starter in basketball, he was a member of the 1996 state championship team. He was also an outstanding infielder on the Grand Forks Legion baseball team in the days before GFC fielded a varsity team.

After graduating from Central, Brooks accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Wisconsin where he was the starting QB for four seasons. In addition to leading the team to victories in the Rose Bowl, the Sun Bowl, and the Alamo Bowl (where he was selected as offensive MVP), he was also selected as Big 10 Freshman of Year, was a team captain, and set numerous Badger offensive records. Brooks graduated from Wisconsin in the spring of 2003 with a degree in history.

Drafted in 2003 by the New York Jets in football and the Los Angeles Dodgers in baseball, Brooks chose professional football as a career and has been an NFL quarterback for four seasons. His first three seasons were with the Jets, where he started in 2005, and he is currently a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

Brooks had this to say about his years at Central, "Besides the success that our teams enjoyed, the most memorable things are the relationships that I formed with my teammates, classmates, coaches, and teachers. I loved the process, the practices, the road trips, and just being with the guys. I also have great memories of going to games and supporting other Central teams as a fan when I wasn't playing."