Kevin Craig Brooks (born February 9, 1963) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round (17th overall pick) of the 1985 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Michigan. Early years Brooks was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1963. He attended Mackenzie High School in Detroit, where he was an All-American and an All-state defensive lineman. He was a member of the National Honor Society and received his school's scholar-athlete award, while graduating in 1981. College career Brooks enrolled at the University of Michigan in the fall of 1981 and played college football for head coach Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1981 to 1984. He played at outside linebacker as a freshman before moving to the defensive tackle position in 1982. As a sophomore, he started the first 4 games at defensive tackle for the 1982 Michigan Wolverines football team, before a knee injury against the University of Indiana sidelined him for 4 contests. He returned to start against UCLA in the 1983 Rose Bowl, making 10 tackles (second on the team). As a junior, he started all 12 games at defensive tackle for the 1983 Michigan team that compiled a 9–3 record and was ranked #8 in the final AP Poll. He posted 48 tackles (seventh on the team), 6 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. At the end of the season, he was selected by the conference coaches as a first-team defensive lineman on the 1983 All-Big Ten Conference football team. As a senior, he started 11 games at defensive tackle for the 1984 Michigan team. At 6'6", 273 lbs, Brooks led the team with six sacks and 13 tackles for loss, while also making 69 tackles (fourth on the team). He was selected for the second consecutive year as an All-Big Ten player. During his college career at Michigan, Brooks recorded 156 tackles, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Professional football Dallas Cowboys In the 1985 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys were targeting Jerry Rice with their first round selection, but settled for Brooks (17th overall) after Rice was taken by the San Francisco 49ers. He had a disappointing rookie season, playing all four defensive line positions, registering 12 tackles and 2 sacks. His best game came against