John Brooks was born on February 24, 1956 in Derby, England. He and his brother Adrian had played soccer since childhood in Derby and later in Northern Ireland. They both attended universities in the U.S on soccer scholarships. Brooks was recruited by Coach Steve Negoesco to attend USF when Brooks was visiting his brother. Brooks accepted and played for the Dons from 1976-1979. The team won the 1976 and 1978 NCAA Men’s Soccer Division 1 Championships.
After USF, he was recruited by and played for the Cleveland Force of Major Indoor Soccer League, the San Francisco Fog, and the San Jose Earthquakes from 1979-1983. During his first game with the Earthquakes on February 10, 1983, he lost the hearing in his right ear when heading the ball, and later sued the team. He stated that he lost his hearing because of League negligence which did not require a physical examination prior to enrolling in the Earthquakes. He argued that he either should not have been signed or should have been given protective gear. The league attorney argued that players were not prohibited from wearing protective gear on their own, that the loss was coincidental, and was not related to the head blow. The Civic Arena, the Autograph Turf Company, and Playfield industries were named as co-defendants. Brooks had lost his hearing in the other ear, his left, as a result of a childhood viral infection.Â
After retiring from soccer, Brooks coached the Dominican University of California soccer team for 14 seasons from 1995-2009.
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