Texas A&M is mourning the loss of Terrance “Chet” Brooks, a tough and instinctive safety who helped define an era of Aggies football and later tasted the highest success in the NFL. Brooks died after a battle with cancer. He was 60. His passing closes a chapter on a life shaped by discipline, teamwork, and big moments under bright lights.
Brooks was a four-year letterman at Texas A&M from 1984 to 1987, a period when the program was feared across the Southwest Conference. He was a key part of the defense that came to be known as the “Wrecking Crew,” a nickname that stuck because of how relentlessly that unit played. With Brooks in the secondary, the Aggies won three straight Southwest Conference championships and built a defensive identity that fans still talk about today.
On the field, Brooks earned All-Southwest Conference honors and the respect of teammates who leaned on his leadership. He was not flashy for the sake of attention. He was reliable, physical, and smart. Those traits later earned him a place in the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011, a formal nod to years of work that helped elevate the program.
The San Francisco 49ers selected Brooks in the 11th round of the 1988 NFL Draft, and he made the most of that opportunity. Over three seasons, he played in 33 games and started 23 of them, including 15 starts in 1989. That year became the peak of his professional career, marked by timely plays and calm decision-making in big moments.
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Brooks left his strongest NFL imprint during the postseason. In Super Bowl XXIV, he intercepted a pass from John Elway in the third quarter and returned it 38 yards. Earlier in the game, he recovered a first-quarter fumble. Those plays helped fuel the 49ers’ dominant 55–10 win over the Denver Broncos and secured Brooks two Super Bowl titles during his time in San Francisco.
Born on January 1, 1966, in Midland, Texas, Brooks attended Carter High School in Dallas before heading to College Station. Wherever he played, he carried himself with quiet confidence. At Texas A&M, his nickname “Chet” became inseparable from the Wrecking Crew legend, a symbol of a defense that played fast, hit hard, and never backed down.
Texas A&M released a statement honoring Brooks’ leadership, competitive spirit, and lasting influence on the program. While his family and former teammates have kept their private grief out of the public eye for now, the broader football community has been quick to remember what Brooks represented. He was a winner, a teammate, and a defender who rose in the moments that mattered most.
Terrance “Chet” Brooks is survived by his family. He is remembered not just for championships and Super Bowl rings, but for helping shape the defensive soul of Texas A&M football and for delivering on the biggest stage in the NFL when his team needed him most.
